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Santa Claus and the Grinch are making an appearance at Hollister’s Bulldog Boxing for a toy drive at the gym on Dec. 23 at 10 a.m.
About 200 toys were donated by Martha’s Kitchen for the event.
“We have a lot of pretty good stuff,” Bulldog Boxing owner Zeke Lopez said. “I think they’re going to enjoy it.”
He added that while he knows what kids might get, he would rather not ruin the surprise for the kids as all gifts are wrapped.
Lopez said all families are welcome to get a toy, take a picture with Santa and the Grinch or even get a cup of hot coffee.
“Everyone is eligible,” Lopez said. “But we got to be honest. Let’s leave these for the families that can’t afford things. We’re just trying to help.”
Lopez said he wasn’t expecting to distribute toys this year because Bulldog Boxing had not had time to go out and seek donations. That changed when Martha’s Kitchen executive Director Bill Lee stepped in to help.
Lee “knows the difference between having money and not having money,” Lopez said.
He’s been around the people that don’t, and when he was with us in the gym he got to see all the kids, how they were, the families that came in and he knows how it is. That’s why he gives so much back.”
Previously, Bulldog Boxing had gone to children’s houses to deliver toys. Giving back to the community, especially youth, is something dear to Lopez.
“That goes back to my childhood because I never really had a Christmas,” he said. “For me to see that with the kids, it goes back to seeing what I went through and how I felt. When I would get something, you know, a toy or whatever it may be, it made a difference.”
Lee said Martha’s Kitchen, a San Jose-based nonprofit that provides meals to those in need, also hosted a toy distribution in San Jose on Dec. 16, which also included birthday cakes.
“We distribute toys to the poor children in the neighborhood who otherwise might not get anything for Christmas,” Lee said.
He added the toys are wrapped so that children can take them home and wait until Christmas Day to open them.
“The anticipation is a big part of the magic of Christmas,” Lee said.
While this is the first time Martha’s Kitchen donated to Bulldog Boxing, it has previously donated to Hollister Community Outreach.
Lee said Martha’s Kitchen provides toys because it is all tied to poverty.
“The toys are really designed to lighten the load for the children and the parents that we serve,” Lee said.
For Lopez, any positive act by the community for the youth can go a long way.
“We need to do more for our children, our kids in this community so we can have better adults,” he said.
Bulldog boxing is located at 640 McCray Street, Hollister.
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