a man’s mission to give every child in Tucson a toy for Christmas

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TUCSON, Arizona (KOLD News 13) – This holiday season, Matthew Kuntz is filling in as Santa’s helper. He works with businesses and local organizations to run “Tucson’s Biggest Toy Show”.

“I honestly have no rhyme or reason. I recently sold my business so I found the time and resources to make this a reality and I’m just happy to do it, ”said Kuntz.

Last year he was hoping to hold a toy drive for the Vail community, but the pandemic complicated things. So he’s making up for it this year. He wants every child in Tucson to have a toy.

He also works with More Than a Bed and FostAdopt Connections. Both are non-profit organizations that help children and families in foster care. If everything goes according to plan, every child who supports the nonprofit will receive a Christmas present.

“I won’t stop there. So if there are families in need they can go to the website. If they know of a family in need, they can sponsor, and they can do so anonymously, ”he said.

FostAdopt Connections works primarily with teenagers in residential groups. Since they are not with a foster family or parent, they are usually looked after by a staff member.

“We really focused on making sure they had something to open up, even when they wake up and there are only three of them around and they have nowhere to go,” said Emily Weeks, program director at FostAdopt Connections.

More than one bed looks after around 2,300 children of all ages in the community. They provide essential supplies for foster families, but the holidays can be a difficult time for these children. Just one toy from the toy collection could make the season even more beautiful.

“That’s what we need. We must all come together and try to improve this. These foster children need to get better, ”said Grace Stocksdale, managing director of More Than a Bed.

If you would like to donate to the toy campaign, you can find more information here.

If you’ve got someone you think represents Tucson’s Heart and Sol, this is your place to nominate.

Copyright 2021 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.

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