SCRANTON, Pa. — With thousands of toys piled high, the gym at the University of Scranton looks more like Santa's workshop.
"It looks incredible," said Meghan Loftus, president of Friends of the Poor. "It looks like there's a lot of toys, but there are a lot of families outside, so it's going to go, and it's going to go quickly."
Parents got to shop for whatever they needed to make the holiday special. It's all for free through the Gifts for Kids program.
"Imagine the smiles on kids' faces in the morning, and the stress of living in poverty, the stress that maybe exists in their household. Just for a couple of seconds, to be able to feel the love that the community was able to provide, you can't match that," said executive director Krista Murray of the Catherine McAuley Center.
Some parents lined up three hours before the doors were open.
"I made it on time, and it was worth the wait," said one shopper. "I feel happy, and like a lot of things are coming my way that I see that the kids will love."
This is the first year the Catherine McAuley Center, the Diocese of Scranton, the Salvation Army, and Friends of the Poor teamed up to make the event bigger than ever.
"Every event is stressful. Every event is, 'Is it going to work? Is everything going to come together?' And our community is really incredible where everything does come together, and we really do support one another," Loftus said.
The groups say they've seen a lot of new faces this year.
"It's so stressful the way the economy is now and inflation. It's really hard to spare that money to buy gifts. And toys are super expensive," one shopper said.
But with their help, thousands of parents were able to take home the toys that top their Christmas wish lists.
"I'm picking out a Baby Alive toy. My daughter's been showing me the commercials. They have it here! They have a lot of good toys this year around."
"My son, he's going to be super excited because he got a bike. He's going to be super ecstatic. My daughter is going to be grateful for anything. She's 16."
Organizers are happy to make a little bit of Christmas magic.
"It's heartbreaking to think of a child waking up to nothing on Christmas morning. So, to be able to ease that burden for a few of these parents, and to think of the smiles the kids will have, and all the fun they'll have playing with their new toys, is just wonderful," Loftus added.