Breakfast with Santa at Hamlet fire hall benefits Toys for Tots
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
HAMLET — There was a sense of urgency in the air inside the Hamlet fire station.
MacKenzie Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
MaKayla Brown and her twin sister McKenzie, in yellow, speak with Santa Claus on Saturday at the Hamlet Fire Department.
“Quick,” said one mom, “grab all you can while you can.”
Her comment was not directly related to the plates of pancakes, bacon and sausage in the room. Instead, the message was meant to convey the idea that McKenzie Brown might not sit on Santa’s lap a moment longer. Take the photos quickly.
McKenzie and her twin sister, McKayla, were among the dozens of children that took part in a Breakfast with Santa, an event coordinated by members of the Richmond Service League and hosted by the Hamlet Fire Department firefighters. Plates were $5 apiece and included a photo with Santa, which would be mailed to each child along with a letter from Santa.
McKayla’s primary interest was with Ariel the Little Mermaid, one of Disney’s stable of princesses. McKenzie, meanwhile, wanted a life-size Darth Vader figure.
The event, Hamlet fire Chief David Knight, benefits no one by the kids. All the proceeds collected from Saturday’s breakfast is almost immediately spent by the Richmond Service League. The cash is converted into donations for Toys for Tots and brought back to the fire department to put in the boxes inside the fire hall.
MacKenzie Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Bailey Preslar, left, serves up pancakes, bacon and sausage on Saturday during Breakfast with Santa. Preslar is with the Richmond Senior High School Beta Club.
“They don’t get anything out of it other than the pleasure of serving people and taking care of kids,” Knight said.
Dena Cook is head of the Richmond Service League, which is a combination of the former Junior Women’s Cubs in Rockingham and Hamlet and comprised of woman who aged out of the initial service groups. They decided to continue working to make Richmond County a better place. On Saturday, the group had help from members of the Beta Club at Richmond Senior High School.
In between deliveries of plates from the fire station kitchen to the tables set up in the bay, Cook said this is one of a handful of projects the league assists with each year. Members help the Richmond County chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina in June with a bowling fundraiser.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Ryder Stewart, 3 months, son of Roger and Jessica Stewart, enjoys a visit with Santa Claus.
MacKenzie Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Dena Cook, of the Richmond Service League, serves diners during Breakfast with Santa.
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