Secret Santa program brings holiday cheer to families

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- Some shopper's received the perfect gift for the holidays, thanks to a Secret Santa program that offered a helping hand during the holidays.

Thanks to donations from members from the South Beach Athletic Club, the pay off secret Santa drive has kicked off Wednesday afternoon.

PayOffLayaways.org benefits families in these tough economic times who are on tight budgets and struggling to keep food on the table. The program allows them to still get gifts for their children where the layaways would normally have to lose out to basic necessities.

"Most people think that the lay away program last all the way until Christmas Eve, which it doesn't," said South Beach Athletic Club RS Schmitt. "So we only have nine days and we are now counting down how many days to pay off lay away."

A simple phone call brought shoppers to the North Miami Beach Walmart.

The layaway program is a great way for families who don't have money to make their holiday a great one.

Ulrick Noel came to pick up a laptop for his wife. The retired bus driver said the $162 he would have paid for the balance, can now stay in his pocket thanks to the donations. "I would like to meet that stranger," said Noel.

Chyvone Washington is one about 500 people at this store who has items on layaway. With a new 3-month-old son, she said a visit from a Secret Santa would be a welcomed surprise. "For something like that to happen, it's a gift from God. You're appreciative and you're grateful to that person," she said. "So, if that happened to me, I would be extremely happy."

The layaway program ends Dec. 14.

If you would like to help families bring a little more joy to their holiday season click here: www.PayOffLayAways.org

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