Carnival band gives toys to children

Months before Carnival in September, carnival band members scour the Belizean community looking for sponsorship. For the past five years, one band has been saying thanks for the assistance by throwing a Christmas party and distributing toys to needy children. This Saturday GEM Belize will give out thirteen hundred toys. Kathy Christie says there’s still time to bring some Christmas cheer to the less fortunate.

Kathy Christie

“We’re still looking for donations so part of the thing that makes the party spirit on the day is being able to provide the children with “goodie” bags. So we’re looking for cupcakes, apples, potato chips, anything that kids like to munch on.

The kids are just great, it’s very hard to explain what it’s like on the day but basically some of the villages we go to have never seen Santa before so you find that kids have been up since the early hours, getting ready. All the girls are in their best dresses and by the time we arrive, there’s already a festive spirit in the villages.”

On Saturday, GEM will travel to Guinea Grass in the Orange Walk District and then on Sunday, the children of St. Martin De Porres in Belize City will get their toys. Next weekend, the band heads for several villages in Punta Gorda. GEM would like to thank all the sponsors for the toy drive, especially, Belize Bank, Big Daddy’s and Grace Kennedy Belize Limited.