“It’s very meaningful,” said Barbara Ryals to AOL. “My grandchildren, they mean the world to me, and something like this is what they really need to be around and stuff. And I just I can’t thank these people enough because that’s very helpful.”

Kids got into dance contests, with winners getting TVs and Beats headphones. Meanwhile, Santa and his helpers passed out gifts to students from nearby schools, while families got food and essential supplies.

Tiffany Poole shared her story from getting help to giving back: “When I lost my job or when I didn’t have anything for my boys, I was able to have help here from the Bullard Family Foundation for them to help me with these things for the holidays.”

The foundation helps people across Tampa throughout the year. Through different programs, they support local residents who need a hand. Businesses big and small teamed up to support this gift-giving effort. What began as a small effort has grown into something much bigger. School staff helped identify families who needed some extra holiday cheer.

O’Neil spoke honestly about giving back, thinking of his own times receiving help. His foundation keeps connecting with local groups to help the Tampa community.

Sponsors provided money to buy gifts and run the event. Working with local stores, the foundation picked out age-appropriate presents for each child.

Behind it all, months of planning and hundreds of volunteers made everything work smoothly. They organized, wrapped, and planned out an efficient way to handle the huge crowd.