Bringing Christmas to Families in Need.

As we prepare to bring this challenging year to a close, many of us are looking forward to the holiday season, spending time with family, and watching our neighborhoods light up with Christmas cheer and wonderment.

But for many families right here in Tallahassee, the holidays mark a much more difficult time. There are parents unsure where their next meal will come from, how they will pay their utility bill, or if there will be any yuletide magic left over for them at all.

So this year Gaines Street Pies decided to do something a little different. In partnership with The Community Round Table of Tallahassee we set out to directly bring Christmas to the doorsteps of children in need. Because we know the spirit of giving lives inside each of us and it is our community that brings Santa Claus to life year after year.

That’s my mom and me on Christmas Day, 1987. I share this because my mother was a single mother of four children. She did the best she could, but she struggled to make sure we had enough food to eat and a place to call home. But in the face of adversity, she did everything she could to not let the worries of the world dampen the wonders of the season.

Often times that meant waking up in the early hours of the morning and standing in long lines in the cold for toy distributions hosted by generous community organizations that filled the space under our Christmas tree.

Another time, it was the Tallahassee Firefighters in their big red engine rolling into our neighborhood with a shiny new bike reflecting the sparkle in my eye right back at me.

It was magical.

And now we’d like to pass that same feeling on to the next generation. Over the next few weeks we will post wishlists for those that wish to be Santa and his elves— presents can be left under the Christmas tree at Gaines Street Pies and we will wrap and deliver them before Christmas Eve.

But the easiest way to make a difference is to contribute directly to our fundraising effort here:

Donate Now

100% of donations will go directly to gifts and resources to the families identified.

On behalf of childhood me, and the children we serve this year, I thank the Tallahassee community for your continued generosity.

-Jeremy Matlow (Co-Owner, Gaines Street Pies)