When we decided to partner with Kings Warriors for a Toy Drive in December 2022, we were unsure of what to expect. Getting ready, we gathered as many toys as we could. Thanks to other nonprofit partners and some generous donations from our fabulous supporters, we warehoused pallet after pallet of toys. These were new toys and we wanted to make sure the children we were supporting knew they were loved and supported. Many of these kids have never received more than one gift and speaking to several we found out that Christmas just wasn’t that big of a deal in their household.
Unemployment and poverty dominated this area of Southern California, so we knew we were in the right place. The question was-would we have enough toys to make sure each child got a chance to experience a real Christmas?
As the months passed, we searched for deals on toys. Although we tried to trade with other nonprofit agencies, they too were saving their toys for the holidays. One big break came when we were told that a benefactor had two pallets of mixed toys and if we arrived early one Wednesday morning, we would be assured of receiving this precious gift.
Coffee and doughnuts in hand, we arrived at 7 Am and waited in line for three hours until the gates opened and it was surely a wait worth the effort.
Besides meeting our goal of 2,000 toys for kids of all ages, we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for them and their families. It truly was a Christmas to remember as each child felt the love from Machado Family Giving. Can’t wait till next year.
