The Late Michael Brown’s Foundation Hosts Toy Giveaway, Noting ‘They’re All Our Kids’

The foundation established to honor the memory of Michael Brown added Christmas cheer to its list of community contributions with a toy giveaway affectionately called, “Breakfast with Hood Santa.”

Michael Brown, Sr., who shares the same name as his 18-year-old son gunned down in 2014 by a Ferguson police officer, gathered a group of men and women for a shopping trip to benefit children in the St. Louis area.
Brother D. said in a Facebook live post, “For you brothers out there who are sitting around, I grew up without a father, he was in the penitentiary. I didn’t get a present from my father. These are grieving fathers trying to help … we want to give back to those children who are hurting.”

In the video, he joined Brown and a team of volunteers as they pushed their red Target carts up and down aisles, selecting toys and deciding how to make wise choices without overspending. Their good deed was funded, in part, by donations including those in-person and using cash apps. 
One of the female volunteers can be heard explaining, “I’m not going to buy anybody else’s kid something I wouldn’t buy mine.”

For two hours, they shopped, and on Dec. 10, they distributed the toys and other gifts to children whose families are facing challenging circumstances this Christmas season. 

On the website for the Chosen for Change Foundation, Brown, Sr. said, he decided to “to turn his pain into purpose.” The organization “focuses on providing support to other families who have lost loved ones due to police brutality or community violence.”