Massive toy giveaways bring joy to kids in Philadelphia, Camden
PHILADELPHIA - Christmas came early for a bunch of kids in New Jersey and Philadelphia areas Thursday.
Holiday fun has begun for the students at Stephen Girard Elementary School with a massive toy giveaway.
With over 600 toys, each child got the chance to take home two gifts.
FOX 29’s Shaynah Ferreira witnessed the fun and spoke to community partners like Philadelphia Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson who made it all happen.
"A huge part of our school’s mission and vision is about fostering joy for our children and we love opportunities like this," said Councilmember Johnson. "We picked Stephen Girard School to show our young people here that that are loved and that they are supported but most importantly lifting their spirits."
Those spirits were lifted with toys galore, a visit from Santa Claus and a surprise visit from the Philadelphia 76ers marching band.
"The city of Philadelphia is the number one biggest poorest city due to poverty and so having the opportunity to provide gifts to the children, some who weren’t expecting them, put a smile on their face," said Councillmember Johnson.
The holiday season is in full swing across the Delaware Valley and the holiday generosity is palpable from Philly to across the bridge in Camden, where kids at Mastery Charter School received some sweet surprises and lots of joy too.
Thanks to the help of the Camden Fire Department and the County Police Department, each student from Mastery Mcgraw Elementary School went home with a gift this holiday season.
"You can see it on their faces, said Joel Boyd, CEO of Mastery Schools. "382 children here and every single one of them was walking in with a smile and leaving with a bigger smile."
School officials tell FOX 29 they even adopted entire families this holiday season, ensuring families feel the joy they deserve.