Daytime talk show host Maury Povich and his staff members joined volunteers for outside of the Thursday afternoon to load a truck with donated toys and gifts to support the non-profit organization's 2010 Holiday Gift Collection.
"This is just a small token of our appreciation," Povich said on behalf of NBC Universal. "This is the least we could do. I'd fill up a coffin full."
The collection will benefit 2,500 children from 35 non-profit agencies throughout Fairfield County affected by poverty and/or HIV/AIDS, including the Boys and Girls Club.
Takeia McAlister, manager, St. Luke's LifeWorks Holiday Gift Collection, said support for the collection from high profile public figures is very appreciative.
"It's nice to have local celebrities celebrate with us at this level," she said.
St. Luke's expected 2,000 gifts, but the number exceeded to between 5,000 and 6,000 gifts this year, thus allowing for each child to each receive two gifts.
After collection, professional moving company Two Men and a Truck transported the gifts to St. Lukes LifeWorks where they will be picked up by one of the other non-profit agencies for distribution next week.
Two Men and a Truck also makes other stops all over Fairfield County gathering gifts for each child so that they have presents to open on Christmas morning.
The yearly collection has become popular to the extent that requests are made to take part in two gift wrapping parties as soon as early July with hundreds of volunteers, including middle- and high-school students, before items are distributed to the various agencies in December.
Rhonda S. and her son Henry were one of two families in attendance that have benefited by the program. "It's wonderful," she said.
Patricia Bouzi and her daughter Saniyah Volmar said that they are grateful of the fact that people that have gifts are willing to give to those who might not have any. "It's nice, " she said.
Povich's long-running talk show "Maury" began taping episodes at the Stamford Media Center inside of the Rich Forum in 2009 along with "The Jerry Springer Show" and "The Steve Wilkos Show."
