Firefighters team up with local organizations to help raise over 10,000 toys for children

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) It’s not just Santa seeing who’s naughty or nice this season, it’s also local firefighters and organizations teaming up with jolly Saint Nick to deliver toys to tots who need it the most this season.

"This is for foster kids and foster youth so it's gonna make a great Christmas"

And a great Christmas indeed thanks to local firefighters along with the Police Activities League, and the Hardin Foundation. A process that kicked off in early November has resulted in over ten-thousand toys for local children.

"It's a pretty cool feeling we would get to see all the way from when we open catalogs in early November and we start ordering the toys we get to personally select what toys we want for the kids we go down and we pick them up and bring them all back and we had this entire wall filled last week with just toys.

The over twenty year tradition has always had a goal; to give more than receive.

And Santa’s joyful spirit was needed a little extra this year, with many families hit hard from the pandemic.

"I’ve been approached by some organizations who they need more this year than they have in the past. A lot of families are in weird times right now and out of work, and were trying to fulfill all those orders"

When organizers pick up their toys, the fun begins, to give out it to the kids.

"This will probably be three or four gifts easily for each of the children and the teens love the gift cards"