Free gifts, food, and pictures with Santa at the Student Santas event

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – A bike raffle, free gifts, free food, and pictures with Santa – the Student Santas held its annual Christmas event in Cape Girardeau.

Hayley Jackson brought her granddaughter to the event.

“We are having a ball here,” she said. “The people are so friendly and nice. I just love it.”

Organizer Jennifer Icaza-Gast said the event felt extra important this year.

“With the economy the way that it is — I know gas prices are increasingly high, the cost of food is so high — there’s a lot of people that just cannot make it. They are truly struggling,” she said.

Century Casino provided everyone with a Christmas meal – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn and rolls.

People and organizations from all over the area came out to volunteer, as well, including Patrolman Jeremy Crowder with Cape Girardeau Police Department.

“We’re just out here giving some gifts to the kids and just enjoying the holiday spirit,” he said.

Icaza-Gast said she’s happy so many people showed up to the event.

“I’ve had a lot of families that have come out, and some of which have told me today, you know, their options were to either eat or to buy a toy for their kid for Christmas,” she said. “I’m so happy that we’re able to do both here today.”

Taylor Brinkley — a single mother of six, struggling with her finances – said she didn’t know how she was going to make Christmas happen for her kids this year.

“As soon as I heard about Student Santas, which I never had before, I signed up,” she said. “They have blessed me tremendously. My family, my kids, have had a joyous Christmas just like everyone would expect and want their kids to have. I couldn’t have done it without them. There’s no way I could have made my Christmas happen without them.”

Brinkley said her next goal is to be able to pay it forward to someone else in the future.