SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 5, 2019 - Footballs, Barbie dolls and Legos were among the nearly $8,000 worth of toys a Texas pawn shop chain donated and delivered to Blue Santa Workshops in San Antonio and Houston Wednesday. The management team then spent the day wrapping gifts, making sure needy kids will not go without Christmas presents this year.

“We love donating toys and our time to the Blue Santa program,” Cathy Gish, vice president of Money Mart Pawn & Jewelry, said.

Blue Santa is a charitable organization started by police officers across the US to provide Christmas presents to underprivileged kids in their communities. It is funded in various ways. Individuals, small and large businesses, and sometimes even the police officers themselves donate the money to buy toys.

The pawn store chain has been working with Blue Santa for six years, according to Gish. “For years we raffled a giant stocking full of toys in each for our stores. This was fun, but we wanted to find a more meaningful way to help more kids enjoy Christmas.”

Shopping for toys starts in late October. Gish said the company shops for deals, getting as many toys possible within budget. She said they buy gifts for kids of all ages, ordering everything from baby rattles to bath and body sets. Board games, Nerf guns, and basketballs are always on the list.

While it feels good to donate the toys, Gish and her management team especially enjoy being able to spend the day wrapping gifts at the workshop.

“Knowing that we are helping a program who provides toys to kids that would likely not have toys for Christmas otherwise, is a very heartwarming feeling,” Gish said.

Blue Santa is one of two major charitable contributions the business makes annually in both cities during the holidays. The company donated over 5800 pounds of food the San Antonio Food Bank and Houston Food Bank in November.

Money Mart Pawn and Jewelry, owned by Brittex Financial Inc., has stores in 26 locations in San Antonio, Houston, and their surrounding areas. Money Mart Pawn and Jewelry has a Google rating of 4.7 and has earned a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating of A+.