SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Firefighters and personnel with the Seminole County Fire Department came together Wednesday to donate hundreds of gifts for its annual Christmas toy drive.
As donations came in from several fire stations, they were loaded into a high-water rescue truck at the Seminole County Training Center.
The toy drive was started in 2017 by Lt. Marcus Gombs after he hosted a holiday party at his home.
“We basically were just like, ‘Hey, why don’t we just go and instead of doing a Secret Santa, why don’t we all just bring gifts and go and just donate,’” Gombs said.
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Each year, more and more firefighters from across Seminole County became involved in the donation effort.
“It started off slow,” Gombs said. “We might have done 75 and then up to 100 and now we’re probably up overall being able to get gifts for 400 or 500 kids.”
The gifts are selected through wish lists from families in need.
“Some kids will ask for a bike, we’ll try and get them that bike,” Gombs said. “Some kids will ask for everyday needs like clothes. We try to meet those same exact things.”
The donations were dropped off at the Sharing Center, where they’ll be distributed to families receiving help through the nonprofit organization.
“In Seminole County, we’re just so so blessed that to me, every kid should be able to open a gift on Christmas,” Gombs said.
For details about the Sharing Center’s mission, visit TheSharingCenter.org.
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