On Sunday afternoon, locals with hungry hearts looking to give back gathered at Orchard Ford for the third annual KelownaSantas Wrap Party.
In case you haven’t heard, KelownaSantas is a local, grassroots initiative that focuses on gathering, wrapping and delivering new toys to families in need over the holidays.
Over 200 volunteers put on their Santa hats and visited Orchard Ford ready to wrap their afternoon away, as over 900 children are on the KelownaSantas' list this Christmas.
The event was originally scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but with the help of volunteers, all gifts were wrapped and sorted by 1 p.m., a new record for the wrap party.
“We are thrilled that so many people want to come out and help," said Nikki Csek, an organizer of KelownaSantas.
"From the wrapping to the sorting and delivering the gifts just days before Christmas, we are in awe of how many people always turn up and we are never let down by Kelowna,” added Csek.
Although the wrap party is a big part of it, it is just one portion of the KelownaSantas campaign. Currently, KelownaSantas has over 400 volunteers who work on the entire project.
From the drop locations to the people gathering, sorting and delivering toys, Kelowna shows that it is more than just a community, but one, big family.
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