Christmas is on its way, and Kanye West appears to be feeling the giving spirit of the season. The famed rapper reportedly showed out for his hometown, buying close to 4,000 toys for a children’s toy drive in Englewood over the weekend, a Chicago neighborhood near the South Side where West grew up.
Several other Chicagoans also helped provide gifts for Sunday’s toy drive, including residents and restaurant owners. Hosted at Kennedy King College, the event reportedly featured games and food for families to enjoy in addition to the available gifts.
Kanye West bought nearly all 4K toys for an Englewood, Chicago toy drive Sunday, Alderman Stephanie Coleman says. https://t.co/BtFaVyNNRr
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) December 19, 2021
According to ABC 7, Stephanie Ward, an alderman in Chicago, said in support of West’s philanthropic effort, “I’m so proud that Kanye is, once again, responding to our request to help the children of Englewood and beyond. He is no stranger to our community. His presence has always been felt in our neighborhoods, and he loves visiting, but this Christmas, he has truly been our modern-day Santa Claus.”
No stranger to giving back to his community, the 44-year-old reportedly donated to We Women Empowered at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, a Chicago-based charity that helped deliver daily meals to senior citizens throughout the city.
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Josephine “Mother” Wade, founder of We Women Empowered, told PEOPLE about the impact the “Through The Wire” rapper had on their efforts, “I don’t know how to even put into words the miracle that happened today to change the course of the Southside of Chicago.”
“I am beyond gratified to know that in all of the suffering we have seen this week, through the tireless work to feed the hurting, hungry and lonely — all of a sudden, out of the clear blue, we get a call from heaven that someone wants to help. And in one phone call, in an instance today, our world was changed.”
She continued, “He may not even realize it, but I knew his mother, and I used to help them many years ago. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.”
We love to see this side of Ye!
