CHICAGO – An Englewood organization is raising funds to gift toys and other essential items to over 600 children in need this Christmas.
“I want the families to know we’re here with them, we see them, we’re in this fight with them,” CEO of Servants for Hope Deonte Tanner said.
Deonte lives by a motto: Be the change you want to see.
“Obviously living in this community for so long, just seeing this daily inspired me to do something. Be the change you want to see,” he said.
For the ninth straight year, Deonte and Servants for Hope are raising funds to provide toys and other essentials to more than 600 kids by Christmas. The number of families registered for this year’s toy drive is much bigger than years past.
To Deonte, it’s a sign of how the economy is impacting families this holiday season.
“It’s bittersweet knowing we are serving more people and we are expanding our outreach, but on the other side, are we going in the wrong direction as a society?” Deonte said.