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KC metro groups lift spirits, give back to those in need

Northland Santa gives back
Posted at 9:02 PM, Dec 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-19 23:41:45-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Christmas came early for many in the Kansas City metro on Saturday.

Kansas City Mothers in Charge held a Christmas event for those who have lost a loved one to violence.

Theresa Nunally said the women in the organization have been a blessing.

“I’m so thankful for women like them," Nunally said. "For her to use her pain to help others who are going through the same thing, it means a lot."

It wasn't the only Christmas celebration in town. More than 20 organizations partnered together to provide toys for 600 families in the Hickman Mills School District.

“Families are struggling," Pastor Dennis Lester, of the Hickman Mills Community Empowerment Center, said. "People are not getting the money that they need, and we just want to show the community that we care."

The gift of giving continued in the Northland, where Santa was spotted in his sleigh, making his rounds to different neighborhoods.

“I hope it will make everyone’s Christmas a little better," Donnie Bailey said.

Bailey turned his everyday lawnmower into a sleigh and decided to lift the spirits of those in his area.

In Johnson County, PCs for People handed out 150 computers.

“The need to be able to do distance learning or distance work," John Fitzpatrick said, "and even just to be able to break down social isolation is vital during this time. We don’t understand the toll that it’s taking on people," said John Fitzpatrick.

While some organizations handed out gifts, others made it possible for children to pick their own.

The Shift Christmas Up experience provided more than 70 local children the opportunity to buy a present for their parents or guardians.

“I just wanted kids to be happy and I wanted them to just feel how it feels to give gifts not get gifts," Ayden Peteanu said.

Each event throughout the metro helped lift the spirits as the holiday season is celebrated in a different way due to COVID-19.