Published December 06. 2024 02:45PM
Nearly 20 lucky children will enjoy a Christmas full of fun and enjoyment.
They can thank a nonprofit organization for brightening their holiday.
The annual Angel Tree Adopt A Kid for Christmas Program is being held by Bearded Villains of Pennsylvania East.
The Toy Drop off will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at 312 Lower Nis Hollow Drive in Lehighton.
Gaige Accardi, a member of Bearded Villains of Pennsylvania East, said the group has been around since 2020.
“This year we decided to do an Angel Tree because we feel like it’s more direct to a child,” Accardi said.
Accardi said the group held a Toys for Tots event last year that raised nearly $600 in toys.
He also noted they recently held an East Coast Meet that was comprised of about 10 different chapters up and down the East Coast and ended up raising about $15,000 for a veterans group known as Battle Borne.
The Bearded Villains are a brotherhood of bearded gentlemen dedicated to the betterment of mankind through fraternity, charity, and kindness.
The group’s inspiration to hold a toy drive benefiting Toys for Tots came from a chapter member whose childhood Christmas was made possible by the organization.
“Our other goal is to kind of destroy the stigma that a bearded guy is a bad person,” Accardi said.
The group may be reached at its Instagram page @bypennsylvania.east or Facebook page BV Pennsylvania East.