Local Community in Orange County Makes a Difference for Needy Children During the Holiday Season

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – While numerous organizations are providing assistance during the holiday season, local groups such as the Lee Road Safe Neighborhood association are also making a difference.

The group is spreading some Christmas cheer by handing out toys to kids who live in extended stays along Lee Road.

Becky Schaff is the Vice President of the Lee Road Safe Neighborhood group.

Schaff said it’s heartwarming to see her neighbors come together in this way.

“We feel like there’s not a lot of attention brought to them and we want to make sure that they’re seen, they’re recognized, acknowledged as a part of our community, and assisted,” stated Schaff.

Having engaged in this activity for the past four years, the group explains that their initiative began after Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy, Jacob Snavely, raised awareness about families residing in extended-stay accommodations during one of their community gatherings.

“They didn’t even have a Christmas because they had to choose between paying for their room and buying their kid’s Christmas presents,” Schaff said.

The group has collected around 150 toys. They’ll wrap each toy individually and hand them out to kids next Friday.

“We also love that the event brings out volunteers who you know might not do much else during the year but they’ll show up for something like this,” Schaff said. “They’ll get to be a part of it and they’ll get to see those families in the hotels and kids.”

If you’d like to donate toys or help out, you can reach out to the group at [email protected].