TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — With a growing need, a shrinking supply, and a former Boys and Girls Club member's story, we're reminded of why a single Christmas gift can change everything.
- The Club’s enrollment grew from 350 to 500 kids, but toy donations are falling behind.
- Slower gift drop-offs reflect the financial challenges families across the community are facing.
- Watch the video to see how the toy drive impacted one former Boys and Girls club member.
Boy and Girls Club in need of gifts
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A gift like this is what every child hopes to find wrapped and waiting on Christmas morning.
But for some children at the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend that reality is at risk.
I'm Lyric Sloan in Southeast Tallahassee with why the Boys and Girls Club is struggling to meet the need and what you and your family can do to help.
For Essence Atkins, Christmas didn't come with piles of presents or shiny wrapping paper, but it did come with something she looked forward to all year long, the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend's annual Christmas celebration.
"We have performances from each of our clubs here, and the youth actually put on a performance for their family and their friends, and it's so nice at the end that each youth receives one gift," Atkins said.
Atkins spent seven years at the club, seven years of friendship, mentorship, and the one gift each Christmas that made her feel seen,
"Grateful, humble, excited, thankful that so many people were so generous to give back to us," Atkins said.
This year, the number of kids coming through the club's doors has grown from 350 to 500 but that number of donated gifts hasn't kept up.
"Our community is kind of, you know, suffering financially, so we have definitely seen, you know, those gifts coming in just a little slower than they have in the past, but we're confident that our community will rally around the Boys and Girls Club Kids and make sure that they have a gift," Kacy Dennis, Boys ans Girls Club of the Big Bend CEO, said.
Dennis says 85% of the children here come from low income families.
For many of them, the gift they receive at the club isn't just special, it's the only one they'll get.
Atkins knows that reality firsthand.
"Feeling that thing that you lost, not saying lost, but missing from your Christmas. I say the toy drive definitely fulfills it. Christmas wasn't really major. Yes, me and my family, we get together, we eat, but the whole gift part not really a major thing in my family," Atkins said.
Fulfilling that need, that moment of joy, is what the toy drive is all about.
And this year, the club is hoping the community can help make sure every child feels it.
"We're asking for the community to please help us. You know, donating new gifts, they can be wrapped unwrapped. We'll take care of all of that. And you know, so our teens, of course, they're kind of out of the toy range, so we love to give those our teens gift cards," Dennis said.
For anyone that wants to help, donations can be dropped off at 1311 North Paul Russell road, and if you want to give your time, the Boys and Girls Club will be hosting a community gift wrapping event this Saturday, December 6.
There will be two separate shifts, one from 9:00 a.m. to Noon and one from 1:00n p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
In Southeast Tallahassee, Lyric Sloan, ABC 27.
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