SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of volunteers worked with San Antonio firefighters on Saturday morning to wrap thousands of gifts that will soon go to kids across the city.
The annual Santa’s Firefighter Toy Drive will give more than 10,000 toys to an estimated 5,000 children.
“It’s really a reflection more of the people of San Antonio,” San Antonio Fire Department public information officer Joe Arrington said. “You know, we didn’t go out and buy all these toys. These are generous donations from folks that were just doing their grocery shopping.”
Volunteers lined up at the San Antonio Fire Academy to grab gifts for families and wrap them up. While every family had a different way of preparing their presents, some have been coming back for years.
“It’s kind of like visiting family again while you’re here,“ Jonathan Marquez, who has been coming here for the last 10 years, said. ”You know, you see people that, you know, get to see how you’re running around so much throughout the year that you don’t get to see them. But right here, you get to see them.”
These gifts will soon be loaded up and delivered out to families across town by firefighters in a fire truck.
“You know, they love seeing the fire truck as it is,” Arrington said. “But when we come with presents, it’s like it’s double fun for everyone.”