'It Was Done With Love': Sacramento Christmas Gift Giveaway Aims To Help Underserved Families
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Christmas is just 12 days away and while some of us are scrambling to finish our holiday gift lists, others, especially this year, will need some financial help to get gifts under the tree.
It's an SUV that looks a little like Santa's sleigh. On this December day, hundreds of donated toys for boys and girls of all ages were getting lined up in a jam-packed Florin Square hallway for pickup by families who need help this holiday.
"I think a lot of families are deserving of this blessing," said Berry Accius, who runs Voice of the Youth.
This gift giveaway will help hundreds of families make sure their children have something to unwrap on Christmas day.
"That's kind of like a theme that we constantly use when we talk about Voice of the Youth. It's about giving, not taking," Accius said. "So the part of us is about giving back to our community – in dire need, or at times when it's just important."
And what's being given away is the good stuff – the hottest toys and labels for all ages, zero to 21.
"Not only have we shopped locally, we've got some of the big brand names that are out there," Accius said.
Young volunteers helped with the gift giveaway from start to finish.
"The gifts we have are something your mom would go out and buy you," Malaya Muldrew said.
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"I hope that we could get more people to do this, more people to bond together, teenagers that really don't have that opportunity to get out of the house," Joshua Hamilton said.
It's the work of this community, striving to give every boy and girl a merry Christmas morning.
"When they wake up on [Christmas], they see something they can really smile about and they know it was done with love," Accius said.
Voice of the Youth expects to serve some 300 families with this gift giveaway. Parents and guardians will pick up the donated gifts on December 20 to make sure they get them under their trees on Christmas eve.