A group of colleagues and volunteers from the Red Wings and Ilitch Sports + Entertainment also assisted the group of children at Meijer.
“It’s a great event,” Kane said. “My family, we did it last year and we really had a lot of fun helping the kids pick out toys and give back in that way. We wanted to do it again this year, so I brought them again and it was nice to give back a little bit.”
On Monday, which marked the 12th annual Hometown Holiday Assist, each child from Detroit PAL received $200 to spend at Meijer, a holiday-themed gift basket, $50 Meijer gift card and Little Caesars pizza party.
“It’s good to be able to give back,” Sandin-Pellikka said. “I’m sure the kids are really happy to be able to get a lot of the stuff they wanted for Christmas, so it’s awesome to see their faces and smiles.”
When it was time to check out, several Meijer shopping carts were filled to the brim with items ranging from stuffed animals to kick scooters to NERF blaster toys.
“It’s really cool to be able to do this,” Danielson said. “It’s cool to see how much the kids enjoy it. It takes you away from hockey, being able to help make these kids’ days.”