For Amy Arroyo, the annual Christmas giveaway at New Creation Church in Cheektowaga, couldn’t have come at a better time.
After taking in three of her nieces and nephews to join her own three kids, money is tight this Christmas.
“I mean, it’s just really hard when everything is just so expensive and you are just trying to do the best for your children,” Arroyo told 7 Eyewitness News.
The Arroyo family and dozens others received bags of gifts from complete strangers who opened their hearts to provide for families in need.
“Every year the need has increased and we as a church have really been glad to be able to work with the people who need any kind of help at this times of year,” Pastor Stephen Andzel said.
For the 35th year, the church sanctuary was morphed into Santa’s workshop – with church volunteers serving as elves directing the families through a long line of treasures.
Everything from stuffed animals to sleds were gathered by the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program and then organized by age and gender.
“It’s almost like Christmas morning in the house, only on a larger scale,” Andzel said.
The stories of those receiving the gifts are all different but the excitement shared by not only the children and the parents is universal.
“I guess it’s nice that they can give kids something that they might not be able to get,” Arroyo said.
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