JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The season of giving is in full swing. Saturday morning, the Jacksonville civic organization Southside Business Men’s Club teamed up with Target in Jacksonville’s Mandarin area to give 53 kids a $175 shopping spree, funded by over $9,000 in community donations.
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It’s a 20-year-long tradition to give underprivileged kids across the Jacksonville community a very jolly Christmas holiday.
“We have kids from City Rescue Mission, the Daniel Kids, sometimes from community connections and others,” Jepp Walter with the Southside Business Men’s Club told Action News Jax at Saturday’s holiday haul. “And we have been doing this for almost 20 years now.”
Kids filled up their carts with everything including Pokemon cards, stuffed animals, sporting goods, and even some brand-new clothes. One girl even rode out of the store on her brand-new bicycle.
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“It’s super exciting to be here and just watch the kids light up and get to spend money,” one volunteer told Action News Jax.
Jepp told Action News Jax the event not only serves to put a smile on the faces of children in need during the holidays but also gives the volunteers paired with those children on their shopping spree an experience they’ll never forget.
“When you see people that have never volunteered before and you see them go through their first time with their kid they’re paired up with, they come out a different person,” Jepp said.
Click here for more information on how to donate or get involved in next year’s event.
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