The Yankees hosted their 12th annual Winter Wonderland Holiday Toy Event on Friday at Yankee Stadium, extending the team’s tradition of helping deliver joy to thousands of children during the holiday season.
Due to city and state guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic, most toys were given directly to local community partners, who picked up the gifts outside Yankee Stadium and will distribute them to more than 7,000 recipients throughout December.
“Everybody knows the Yankees for being a champion on the field, but that same drive and focus is part of our commitment to being a productive member of this community,” said Brian Smith, the Yankees’ senior vice president of corporate community relations. “We’re happy to put a smile on these young peoples’ faces during the holiday season.”
In years before 2020, the Winter Wonderland event included a festive holiday extravaganza in Yankee Stadium’s Great Hall, featuring decorations, music, food, drink and caroling. Each child in attendance was able to choose their holiday gift.
Though the delivery method has been adjusted, the Winter Wonderland effort should have an immediate impact.
“We have a lot of kids that are underprivileged; their parents are in shelters,” said Maria Martinez, a family assistant at P.S. 150 Charles James Fox school in the Bronx. “They’re having a hard time. Most of our teachers try to help out -- we do fundraisers for toys, and actually we’re short 98 gifts this year. So these 50 will make a big difference.”
Debra Ford, a teacher at P.S. 103 Hector Fontanez in the Bronx, said the school is “very passionate” toward ensuring that each student receives a toy during the holidays.
“A lot of our students were not in school last year, so we’re trying to get them to be very excited to be back in school and have as normal of a holiday season as possible -- including holiday gifts,” Ford said.
In announcing Friday’s event, the Yankees thanked Walmart and Clancy Moving for their contributions toward making the Winter Wonderland a continued success.