ECORSE, Mich. (WXYZ) — House after house, kids bolted to the front porch and smiled ear-to-ear, red and blue lights flashing in their faces as fire sirens blared.
Myalinda Rivera was so excited it appeared like she was ready to explode as Santa Clause approached her home. She was likely a little confused about why he traded in his sleigh and eight tiny reindeer for an Ecorse Fire Truck and a handful of firefighters, but the excitement was front and center regardless.
“My favorite part is when the little girl gave me a piece of candy,” she said, as her brother Edwin shouted in excitement about presents.
For Edward Rivera, the two kids’ father, it was almost too much to bare.
“Honestly, it’s a good break,” he told 7 Action News. “We’ve gone though some hard times lately. You just want to make sure they get a good Christmas, and this does just that.”
The Rivera family is one of nine that were hand-picked by the fire department to deliver gifts to Friday night. It’s part of their latest outreach program this year called Feed the Family.
“Oh, it feels great,” said Robbin Champlin. “Yeah. I love giving back to my community. I just love my city.”
Champlin’s wife helped organize the event — they bought food, clothes and presents for the children on their list. One of the firefighters dressed up as Santa Clause and helped hand deliver gifts. It was pretty clear they’d put a lot of work into the event, little touches like reindeer antlers on the firetrucks gave it a little extra Christmas feel.
“I can’t thank them enough, honestly, my heart is with them,” said Rivera. “My prayers are always going to be with them when they’re out doing their job, and I wish their families the best Christmas.
