Roughly 75 families received gift cards, clothing, toys and a free meal Friday during the first annual Beverly’s Hearty Slice Christmas event at Kendall-Perkins Park and hosted by The Party Space Place.
Beverly’s Hearty Slice, an organization started by Travis Owsley, collected donations from businesses, sponsors and community members prior to the event.
Owsley said one of the night’s biggest highlights was seeing people from a variety of backgrounds come together in unity.
“We’ve got African-Americans, white people — we’ve got everybody out here for something positive, something special,” Owsley said. “Not only are we helping relieve stress and giving back to the community, we’re unifying everybody.”
Though the event officially started at 5:30, Owsley and his team of volunteers began handing out pizza and Christmas gifts a little early. By 4 p.m., a line was already starting to form.
Tate Swanagan, a young boy who stopped by the event to check out the presents and the pizza, said he’d known Owsley his whole life. Swanagan commended Owsley for his efforts in helping the community on a regular basis.
“I’m going to use my gift card on my family,” he said.
Swanagan and a couple of his friends — brothers Trayvon and Xavier Krause — showed off their $35 gift cards to Walmart and the toys and stuffed animals they’d picked up for some of their family members.
When asked how they felt about the community’s support in donating to events like Owsley’s, the three boys shared similar answers that echoed their appreciation.
“Keep it up,” they said. “This is a good thing everyone’s doing.”
