CC stages Holiday Caravan -- with help from Saquon

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Amid the rumble of roller coasters and squeals of delighted children at Nickelodeon Universe on Friday evening, 152 kids from three local youth organizations loaded up their personal holiday gift bags with clothes from Roots of Flight, drawing supplies from King Art, sneakers from Nike’s Jumpman line and more.

From the children lugging their overstuffed sacks to the volunteers leading them from table to table, smiles spread across the faces of everyone on the balcony overlooking the indoor amusement park at the American Dream Mall. But the biggest smiles were on the faces of Amber and CC Sabathia, whose PitCCh In Foundation was staging its 15th Holiday Caravan, this time alongside New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and his Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation.

“Every year, it grows,” Amber Sabathia said. “Every year, we get more donations, more people supporting the event, and then we add more kids. We originally started with 52, and now we’re at 150. We’re just really excited to be here and see the kids when they come in and we tell them what their big gift is going to be.

“Every year, they get so excited: ‘What’s our big gift?’ So, this year we’re giving out laptops and Beats headphones.”

Joining the Sabathias, Barkley and members of their foundations were volunteers from MLB’s Black Employee Resource Group (ERG), a group of league employees dedicated to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion practices by fostering dialogue, allyship and community service in order to collectively address issues impacting Black communities. This is the second year that members of the MLB Black ERG have volunteered at the event.

“One of MLB Black’s important initiatives is to be active in the community, and knowing that PitCCh In is an organization that helps children in need, we were very interested in this,” said Pamela Rivers, brand marketing coordinator at MLB and community chair of the MLB Black ERG. “I reached out last year, and it’s always a rewarding event to volunteer at, to be able to help others that are less fortunate and see the smiles on their faces from the gifts that they may not otherwise have.”

For many who have worked at this event and others, the effects extend beyond just one night.

“The PitCCh In Foundation’s dedication to giving back and empowering deserving families reflects a profound commitment to building self-esteem and fostering mentorship, creating a legacy of positive influence that will resonate for generations,” said Ashley Britt, a senior coordinator of customer experience at MLB and co-chair of the MLB Black ERG.

After experiencing last year’s event, many volunteers were eager to come back.

“We didn’t know what to expect last year because it was our first time,” said Willie Rodriguez, a senior manager of customer experience at MLB. “I think seeing the looks on the kids’ faces was phenomenal. … Roberto Clemente always said, ‘Any time you have the opportunity to give back, you do it,’ and I’m a firm believer in that. When we were asked to volunteer again this year, it was not a head-scratcher. You always have my support, and I’m always down to help out.”

Rivers echoed that sentiment.

“Even though we’re not expecting anything in return, I think if you put good out, good comes back,” she said. “And I think for CC and Amber, they put good out until people want to, in return, do good for them.”

The 152 children -- a nod to Sabathia’s uniform No. 52 -- ranged in age from 5 to 18 and came from the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Grimm Clubhouse in the Bronx; the POP (Prevention-Opportunity-Preparation) Program in Englewood, N.J.; and Bronx Charter School for the Arts. After a welcome from Amber Sabathia, some of the children began their “shopping” -- filling their red “Happy Holidays” bags with gifts -- while the rest dug into chicken fingers, burgers and fries brought up from House of ‘Que.

CC Sabathia, in a Jumpman sweater and a baseball cap with an image of a Black Santa Claus, helped distribute the boxes of sneakers -- the kids’ shoe sizes had been submitted beforehand to ensure everyone got the right size -- and add other gifts to their bags.

“This is my favorite event of the year,” he said. “I get excited because the kids get to come here and have a good Christmas, so it’s a lot of fun. … I grew up in the Boys and Girls Club and a lot of these kids’ situations, so I understand what it’s like to be able to come in here and pick out some Jordans and get a nice jacket. So it feels great to be able to be in that situation and pay it forward.”

As great as it was for the kids to have dinner and fill sacks the size of Santa’s bag, the final event of the evening was 45 minutes to enjoy the 27 rides and attractions at Nickelodeon Universe. Sabathia didn’t let his 6-foot-6 frame stop him from joining them.

“I get on every ride -- whatever the kids want to do,” he said, grinning. “We’ve been doing this event since 2009, so just to see the way it’s grown and gotten bigger -- it’s really near and dear to our hearts.”