Salinas children go shopping thanks to donations

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Children is Salinas will have a nice Christmas thanks to the Salinas Chamber of Commerce.

Over the weekend, children lined up outside the Northridge Mall in Salinas to go shopping with a volunteer who would take them around the department store. An estimated 400 children were able to buy brand new items of clothing. For many children it was their opportunity to own something new.

The Salinas Chamber raised $50,000 for school clothes.

"You can see the smiles on the kid's faces and it means a lot to a kid to be able to have a volunteer take them out and buy clothes that are just for them. I grew up as a kid who didn't have very many new things and it's very meaningful." said Paul Farmer, executive for the Salinas Chamber.

"It's meaningful to these kids and a lot of them remember it for their whole lives. Many of them come back when they're adults and they help take a child shopping. We've done this event for over 70 years, the chamber took it over a few years ago and it's more successful than ever now," said Farmer.