CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Hundreds of local kids got to go shopping Saturday in a toy store built just for them.
Mount Ministries has partnered with local public schools to offer kids new bikes for Christmas.
This year the church group wanted to offer kids an even bigger experience: They gave each child a $100 voucher to spend at Toy Ville, a makeshift toy store that just opened in Chesapeake with more than $30,000 worth of brand new toys bought through partnerships with Amazon and Walmart.
"This event is important to us because we want to be a blessing to the community and to the parents and just allow them to come out and purchase their Christmas gifts," said Uliase Addison, local pastor, "and just provide a nice friendly environment for them."
Related: Community sponsors Secret Santa for more than 200 children in Chesapeake
The goal of the event was not only to give kids a chance to go shopping to buy things on their wish list; it also taught them money management.
Principals and school guidance counselors helped the program choose students they thought were most in need of this type of love this Christmas.
