No matter how many times you see him, the feeling never gets old.
Saint Nick made an appearance at Saint Monica Elementary School, where he took the time to meet and give a gift to every child.
It’s all thanks to Natalie and Adrian Bercovici from the Generations Foundation — also known as the real-life Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Their annual breakfast with Santa event is one of the many initiatives within their charity, which began 24 years ago to ensure no child ever went hungry.
“I know what it’s like to go hungry,” Adrian Bercovici said. “It’s very, very sad what’s going on in our community.”
The charity helps support meal programs at more than 100 schools throughout the Greater Montreal area, which translates to around 8,000 children.
On top of that, with the help and support of businesses, it also gifts toys to thousands of kids who may not otherwise receive one.
“It’s true, we give a lot, but we get in return,” Bercovici said. “If we sat home and just stared at the TV, it goes nowhere. With this, we’re doing something useful. We feel good about doing it and it makes the community better.”
Staff at the school say events like this certainly help bring their school community together.
“I can watch this all day,” said Silvana Crigna, principal at Saint Monica Elementary. “To me, this is not just a social event, it’s a learning event because I love to see them socializing, I love to see them talking and having conversations.”
And for the children, there’s not much better new toys, some music and being with their friends before the holiday break.
“The special thing is we get gifts and everybody is happy,” six-year-old Prisha said.