WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The city of West Palm Beach is keeping the Christmas spirit of giving going even after the holiday has come and gone. It provided parents with kids who got extra presents they didn’t want or need with a way to give back to children who are less fortunate.
The city teamed up with Back to Basics, a Palm Beach County charity that has been helping local children for 31 years. Along with a toy, the group gives kids in need new socks, sneakers and underwear to wear to school every Christmas. The toys families donated went toward the cause.
Families like Leslie Ramirez’s simply dropped toy donations in a bin during West Palm Beach’s Greenmarket Saturday. The mother of two says it was a good lesson for her kids, teaching them to share with others in need.
“We talked to them about other kids needing their presents, so my daughter especially has been very involved this year with making sure that we give to other people,” Ramirez said.
She added that it wasn’t hard to come up with extra gifts that her kids didn’t need.
“We have a lot of family members that kind of go overboard,” she laughed. “So we wanted to offer a gift to other kids who might need them.”
This is the first year the city has organized a gift giveback. Back to Basics founder Beverly Perham says it’s a great way to remind people of what the holidays are about, even after Christmas.
“People are very generous if you give them a reason to be generous,” Perham said.
Thanks to that generosity, thousands of kids will have a Christmas they may not otherwise have had a few days late this year.
Back to Basics helps about 6,000 children across Palm Beach County year-round.
