LYNN — The Aybar family, led by 7-year-old Isabelle, has been assisting the Lynn homeless shelter with holiday celebrations and donations.
Last week, the family made 50 Easter baskets to donate to the shelter, along with gift bags full of baby items for three expectant mothers.
Isabelle, her mother, Maria, and father Eugenio (Junior), assist the shelter with the help of their extended family. Maria’s father, Joe Gregorio, and her sister and nephew, Angela and Jared Gregorio, help to prepare donations, along with Maria’s other sister, Lisa Speropolous, and Lisa’s kids, Kali, Ella and Daniel.
Kelly Gaule, who works with the shelter, said the family has “made it their mission to ensure that our kids and their families have the best possible experience during the holidays.”
The family began their philanthropic partnership with the Lynn Shelter Association last November, when Isabelle expressed her interest in helping to give a proper Christmas to kids who are less fortunate.
“Once my daughter, Isabelle, expressed her desire to help kids in our community, I figured the best place to start is with an organization who deals with children and families who need help the most — the shelters,” Maria Aybar said.
The family began by collecting monetary donations and non-perishable food supplies to donate to the Anchor Food Pantry in Swampscott and Centerboard, a nonprofit in Lynn.
At the same time, they began their Christmas drive to collect toys for kids at the Lynn Shelter Association. They collected more than 200 toys and monetary donations to provide gifts and Christmas dinners for the families and individuals who reside at the shelter during the winter holidays.
“We wanted to teach Isabelle how important it is to give back to, not only people who are struggling and need some help, but to our community in general,” Maria said. “We are very blessed and we wanted Isabelle to know the true joy that comes from giving to others.”
Maria noted that Isabelle loves picking out toys for the children and unboxing all of the toys when they are delivered from Amazon. Maria said her daughter also enjoys wrapping and preparing the Christmas gifts and Easter baskets. Isabelle said she loves helping the kids and families from the shelter.
“She really enjoys being able to do this for other kids,” Maria said. “She has a very caring heart.”
Maria said that the family’s efforts have brought “pure gratitude and joy” to the people she has encountered along the way.
“I can’t tell you how many times I fell to tears every time a donation came in,” she said. “The amount of support we have received is amazing. We are so grateful to everyone who has donated, because without them, we couldn’t do these amazing things.”
Maria hopes the work her family does with the shelter makes the recipients feel wanted and know they are loved and cared about, even by people who don’t know them. The family aims to have a lifelong relationship with the Lynn shelter and has plans to start a nonprofit organization, which would continue to grow to help families, children and the community. Maria said the family’s hope is to inspire other children and families to get involved with helping others.
“It’s hard work and can be tiring, but just go out and do it. Don’t hesitate,” she said. “If you help even just one person, you are changing a life and that’s a blessing all on its own. Can one person change the world? Maybe, but even if it’s only one or a few people, that can make a huge difference in the life of someone who is struggling. That one kind gesture might save their life. It’s so worth it.”
The family’s philanthropy page can be found on Facebook under Isabelle’s Toy Box. They encourage people to follow their journey and donate if possible.
“All of this happened because of a kid with a dream to help other kids,” Maria said. “Our kids can change the world, if we just give them the support and tools to help them.”
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].