Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Tree of Hands to deliver toys, food

Tree of Hands to deliver toys, food

If you hear Christmas music playing from trucks in the days before Dec. 25, it may just be “Santa” coming to the territory.

This Christmas marks the 20th year that Tree of Hands will be distributing toys to children throughout the Virgin Islands.

“This year is going to be bigger and better,” said coordinator Alex Durante, who explained that in addition to toys, volunteers will be giving out hot meals in the days leading up to Christmas. “The date is going to be a secret. Listen out for our call with Christmas music. If you hear that, have your kids ready and have them meet us at the trucks for gifts and for food.”

The organisation aims to deliver 1,500 gifts this year on Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada.

Fire Chief Zebalon McLean will be head Santa this year, she said, and there will be a high number of volunteers.

Ms. Durante said Rite Way Food Market is offering 50 percent discounts on toys bought for the cause and the Tortola Lions Club is providing trucks and deejays, as well as donating toys. Additionally, she added, Harneys pledged to raise $10,000 toward the hot meals and toys.

“We’re reaching out to restaurants and asking them to cook dinners,” Ms. Durante said. “We bring the raw material.”

People off-island who want to contribute to the cause can buy gift certificates or give cash donations.

Wrapping party


Though the event usually includes a wrapping party, the pandemic changed the way the organisation will handle gifts this year.

Mr. Durante has asked that all donated gifts come wrapped and labelled for children in a certain age group with a two-year age gap. For example, if a toy says it’s for age groups “3-plus,” it would be marked for ages 3-5. Gifts can also be marked for boys or girls.

“That’s how we’re doing it this year because of Covid-19,” she said. “We don’t want a whole bunch of people in one area wrapping gifts and touching things and wiping down utensils. It’s just easier to drop off [pre-wrapped] gifts.”

Drop-off locations include E.C. Soap Co. on Main Street, CrossFit Castaway, International Motors, and Cedar International School.

Need is great


Ms. Durante said the need for toys and hot food is great.

“We have a lot more kids this year because people aren’t in jobs,” she said. “A lot of people don’t have money and won’t be able to buy presents.”

Ms. Durante advised all parents and children to practise social distancing, look both ways before crossing the road, and bring cameras to take pictures with Santa.

She encouraged restaurants to reach out if they are able to cook some food for the event, and also urged contributors to support local businesses when buying toys to donate.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×