SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Volunteers preparing for the Youth Philanthropy Council's Saint Nick's Kicks Shoe Drive on Saturday morning got an early start. The group started setting up for the day at 5 a.m. by setting up canopies, opening boxes and stacking shoes.
When the giveaway started at 8 a.m., lines of cars crowded the parking lot at the Sharp Spectrum Center. Families received a minimum of $250 worth of shoes, along with toys, coloring books and other items.
"I only got news of this the other day, and I was like, 'Oh, yes! Let's go.'" Jennifer Gwynn said.
Jennifer Gwynn came through the lines at the drive with her husband and kids as they wanted to pick up some early Christmas gifts for the little ones. In a time when prices for basic necessities are high, this event offered relief for the family this holiday season.
"It’s definitely a blessing," Elan Gwynn said. "I work two jobs, so it’s a big help just to be able to bring them some sort of happiness at this point in time."
Ultimately, their kids' happiness means the most to Jennifer and Elan. No matter where that joy may come from, they want to be sure their three kids receive it.
"We work hard as parents," Elan Gwynn said. "To see our children be able to be blessed with things from the community, or from whoever they come from, it shows that there’s still hope for humanity."
This shoe drive is set to give away more than 21,000 shoes. That number would break the Guinness World Record for the most shoes donated in 24 hours. The most inspiring thing about the giveaway is that a majority of the volunteers are high school and college students.
"It’s just cool to see how big we are and how big we can help the community," Youth Philanthropy Council Vice President Anisa Pourteymour said.
Pourteymour is a junior at Cathedral Catholic High School. She has been a member of the YCP for three years. Her first event was the inaugural Saint Nick's Kicks Drive.
"Ever since then, it’s kind of become a tradition," Pourteymour said. "It kind of holds a special place in my heart."
The world record was never the ultimate goal for the drive. For Anisa and her friends, the feeling of giving back to more and more families year in and year out is all that matters to them.
"It’s a feeling you can’t recreate," Pourteymour said. "I’m just happy that I had a spark within me to help these people out, and there’s so many people around us that have the same passion."
