The Gloucester Fire Department joined forces with Addison Gilbert Hospital’s Access Services Department to raise money to fill the holiday store of the Cape Ann Kids Holiday Fund.
The Cape Ann Kids Holiday Fund has been helping children in need on Cape Ann have a brighter Christmas for nearly a decade now, providing toys to more than 1,250 children in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Essex and Ipswich.
The fund provides gifts to children whose families are struggling financially by operating a holiday store filled with gifts that children can choose from to make their holidays a little brighter. The store is operated by Wellspring House in Gloucester, and Pathways for Kids, with major support from Sen. Bruce Tarr and Action Inc.
This year’s store was located at Pathways for Kids, 29 Emerson Ave.
Gloucester Firefighters Dean DeCoste, Mike Michell, Lukas McRobb and Lts. Bud Doucette and Tom Sayess collected cash donations for the toy drive during the week of Thanksgiving, according to Chief Eric Smith. They also launched a GoFundMe page to raise additional money, and toys were collected at Gloucester Fire Headquarters.
The need was greater than ever this year, as 366 children between ages 12 and 18 signed up for assistance.
Gloucester firefighters and staff from Addison Gilbert Hospital’s Access Services Department set off for Walmart in Danvers to purchase new, unwrapped gifts to add to the toys collected on Dec. 15, and those gifts were delivered on Thursday, Dec. 14.
“We, along with Addison Gilbert Hospital’s Access Services Department, would like to personally thank all those who have contributed … this holiday effort,” Smith said in a prepared statement. “This is a great cause and a great organization here on Cape Ann.”