Vancouver woman working to get presents to kids who need them most

The holiday season is fast approaching, and one Vancouver woman is working to give toys to families who need them most.

Jenny Huynh is the founder of the Huynh Foundation Gifts for Kids, a self-run group that gives presents to kids in need across the Lower Mainland.

Huynh says she started the project in 2018 because she wanted to help struggling families during the holidays.

“I realized there were a lot of people looking for little toys on Facebook, and I just thought I’d step in and help,” she told CityNews.

And she’s been doing it every year since, saying she is motivated by the joy and happiness she sees from the kids and parents she donates to.

Huynh says she started the project because when she was growing up, her parents struggled to make ends meet, meaning there were no presents on Christmas.

“I went downstairs, didn’t see anything, and I went to my mom and I was like, ‘mom, why didn’t Santa give me a gift? I wrote a letter. Am I a bad kid?’ And I remember my mom, her face, her whole demeanour changed,” she said.

Now, she works alongside her parents and a number of volunteers who go out of their way to donate to families across the Lower Mainland. With only seven families in her first year, she now donates to over 200.

For anyone who would like to help wrap, deliver or offer a donation, Huynh says you can contact her through social media.