Boy, 9, kicks off his third annual toy drive for Vallejo kids

VALLEJO — It wasn’t hard to spot Mesai Alonsabe, the glowing, rambunctious 9-year-old whose vision started Mesai’s Merry Toy Drive three years ago.

“Are you a volunteer?” asked the Times Herald, speaking to the magnetic young man sitting under the toy drive’s awning off Georgia Street in Vallejo on Saturday.

“No, I’m the guy! I’m Mesai and I did this!” he beamed.

He sat smack dab in the middle of a long row of festive tables and behind him were the bins soon to be filled with toys for homeless and underprivileged children.

Mesai is very focused and upbeat, but it helped that he was also listening to music and watching his hero Steph Curry on his iPhone.

In between interview questions he would take dance breaks in his seat.

“Here’s the song for the day,” he said, cueing up Imagine Dragons’ “Believer.”

Mesai said he started this because he didn’t like the idea of some children not having a good Christmas.

“My mom and dad taught me to care about people,” he said.

Well yes. The partridge never flies too far from the pear tree, and he has two amazing parents, Donnie Davis and Michelle Alonsabe-Davis.

“His mom used to put items for homeless people in ziplock bags and she and Mesai would drive around and hand them out,” said his dad. Mesai enjoyed it and was not shy at all about asking people why they were homeless and what sort of help they needed, he said.

He was saddened and shocked to see that there were children that didn’t have beds and homes.

“There are over 200 kids who don’t have homes in Vallejo,” Mesai told the Times-Herald.

After that he decided to at least make sure these kids had presents from Santa.

It also helps that Mesai has two whole rooms full of toys at home already — he really appreciates the art form.

“He has his room, which is full of them, and a ‘Discovery Room’ with even more,” said his dad, who was proud of his son’s empathy for others that don’t have as much.

“He did this drive on his initiative. It’s really just him.”

The drive collected donated toys and worked in conjunction with the fire department and Vallejo Together, the area’s homeless outreach. The Hinton Barber and Beauty College had several barbers on hand to give out free haircuts too.

Once Mesai was done listening to songs for inspiration, he shot up and interacted with all the photographers and even a TV station that was there. He had his own paparazzi and he loved it.

“I’m going to be in another newspaper!” he giggled.

“I’m going to stand next to you and maybe I’ll get in the news,” joked a man who had just dropped off a donation.

Asked what the hardest part of his toy drive is, Mesai said, “There’s a lot of toys. The bins are already almost full!”

That’s a good problem to have.

When he’s not helping other children, he likes to play basketball and see his friends. He had already scheduled a sleepover for after the drive.

But what does he want for Christmas? “3-D goggles,” he said, matter-of-factly.

By the end of the day, Mesai was visibly tired but no doubt filled with gratitude. Over 12 big bins of toys had been collected and about 15 haircuts had been administered.