CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A local charity got an early Christmas present this year and it's all thanks to another charity starting a new program that will keep on giving throughout the New Year.
Smiling children who receive help from the Bethlehem Centers across Charlotte were in a singing mood Tuesday as they got a surprise from Second Harvest Food Bank.
The Bethlehem Center serves almost 1,000 children in need in eight locations around Mecklenburg County that provides food, games, toys and winter clothes beyond their normal help of food.
"These are families in a fixed income," said William McDonald, of Bethlehem Center. "They don't have the resources a lot of families enjoy."
It's part of Second Harvest's new program called Surprise Inside.
They surprise various agencies they serve four times a year with an overwhelming gift like the truckloads of goodies heading to the Bethlehem Centers in Charlotte Tuesday.
Want to be the first to know about the news of the day? Watch live streaming video on the WSOC-TV mobile app and iPad app, and join us on Facebook and Twitter.
"It's good from the heart," said Ty Horne, a mother. "A blessing to us and we really appreciate it."