Hundreds of children in need in Flagler County will receive stuffed animals as gifts this Christmas thanks to PetSmart which donated almost 1000 stuffed animals to Christmas Come True.
PetSmart gathered the huge amount of stuffed animals thanks to support from the local community, PalmCoastObserver reports. “This year has been very exciting. The people shopping at the store really stepped up for local kids in need”, Joe Carwell, who is the PetSmart Store director, says.
There were so many stuffed animals donated, that each child will receive two stuffies – one cat and one dog. All of the toys were bought and donated in just three weeks. The initiative will carry over to several different receivers.
Some of the stuffies will be given to disabled children in Whispering Meadows Ranch in Flagler Beach. A large amount of toys will be given to the police department of Flagler Beach who will use the stuffies to give them to children in need when responding to emergency calls.
Christmas Come True benefits Flagler County families who do not have the funds to celebrate the holidays. The program supplied a full Christmas experience to 295 children in 2014. A full meal was supplied to the families, and each child received toys, a stocking full of goodies and a new outfit.
“We give the children’s gifts to the parents while the kids are at school,” Founder of Christmas Come True Nadine King said. “That way it is a gift the parents can give to their own children.”
The initiative was founded in 2009 to help families. The program has successfully provided a full holiday experience to 484 families in Flagler County and 1373 children.
