Soyoucan to host Christmas giveaway

The eighth annual Soyoucan Christmas giveaway will be going on Saturday, Dec. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with staging for deliveries at the Yuba-sutter Fairgrounds main exhibit hall.

Soyoucan organizer Angie Gates said the giveaway was shifted to the fairgrounds to accommodate proper social distancing measures due to the ongoing public health crisis surrounding coronavirus. Volunteers will be handing out items for delivery to families in drive-through fashion to keep attendance inside the building limited.

All volunteers will be masked up, Gates said, and adhering to all state and county COVID-19 protocol.

Despite the pandemic, Gates said this year’s giveaway is still one of the largest on record, with nearly 300 families and over 700 children on the list of recipients.

Each child will receive two gifts valued at $10 each. So far, Soyoucan has received 1,400 toys, Gates said.

“Many of the Christmas toys are provided through the Toys for Tots program along with donations from people in the community and our organization buying them,” Gates said.

The occasion is one that really helps those in need during the holidays. “We give our families food for their Christmas dinner, food for the week after Christmas, stockings for each child filled with candy and stocking stuffers, stuffed animals, two gifts per child, hats, mittens, blankets, a family game and other items donated or bought,” Gates said.