An Inland Empire resident is switching things up for this holiday season.
The woman, who only wants to be identified as “Aunt Karry,” typically showers her four nieces and nephews with gifts every Christmas. But this year, she offered them options: "You can get a gift of your choice or cash/gift cards or I can donate the money I would spend on your Christmas presents to animal shelters.
All four of them -- Joshua, Haley, Erica and Christopher -- chose to donate!
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Instead of getting things that may end up in the landfill, the nieces and nephews went with Aunt Karry to purchase pet foods and dropped them off at shelters.
"The experience of meeting and petting the animals who will benefit from their contributions" was also a bonus present, according to Aunt Karry.
The family made their first stop at Early’s Reptile and Small Animal Rescue, which is said to have about 36 cats and 34 dogs in their foster care. Also about 100 pounds of dog and cat food have been dropped off at the Moreno Valley Animal Shelter.
Later in the week, the group is heading to the shelters in Redlands and the city of San Bernardino to spread more holiday love.
Karry tells us she was inspired by another Bright Spot shared on Today in LA, a story about Mrs. Krug, the 6th grade teacher who’s encouraging her students to spread kindness.
What’s your Bright Spot? If you know any unsung heroes of the community or small acts of generosity, we would love to hear from you!
You can message our Today in LA anchor Lynette Romero directly. Email her at lynette.romero@nbcuni.com or reach out to her via Instagram and Facebook. She looks forward to hearing from you!
