Kanye Westis being hailed as a “hometown hero” for donating to a recent toy drive in Chicago.
West, 44, donated the majority of the more than 4,000 toys that were given away at a Sunday event in the Englewood neighborhood, according to the alderman for the area, Stephanie Coleman.
“I’m so proud that Kanye is, once again, responding to our request to help the children of Englewood and beyond,” Coleman said, perABC7. “He is no stranger to our community. His presence has always been felt in our neighborhoods and he loves visiting, but this Christmas he has truly been our modern-day Santa Claus.”
“He is our hometown hero, and we want to thank him for understanding that children in Englewood, and on the South Side and in Chicago in general, some will be without this holiday,” she added at the event,WGNreported. “Some are without their fathers due to gun violence, due to mass incarceration, so today, we are here being a blessing.”
Kanye West.Brad Barket/Getty
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West, himself, didn’t attend the event, which reportedly feature food, games and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus, with the help of various local businesses and organizations.
“It isn’t about just Christmas, but it’s a day about unity,” Coleman told theChicago Sun-Times. “And without unity, there is no community.”
Joseph Williams, who lives in Englewood, attended the toy drive and told the outlet that it was “amazing to see so many organizations come together to bless the Englewood community.”
“So many families can benefit from something like this,” said Williams, who has five children and another on the way.
West has a history of giving back to the city of Chicago, where he was raised, as well as Los Angeles, where he now primarily resides.
“I don’t know how to even put into words the miracle that happened today to change the course of the Southside of Chicago,” Josephine “Mother” Wade, who leads We Women Empowered, said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE at the time.
“I am beyond gratified to know that in all of the suffering we have seen this week, through the tireless work to feed the hurting, hungry and lonely — all of the sudden, out of the clear blue, we get a call from heaven that someone wants to help. And in one phone call, in an instance today, our world was changed,” she continued.
source: people.com
