A holiday tradition at a Fort Worth landmark will bring something good for families come Christmas morning.
Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant hosted its Annual Christmas Luncheon on Monday. Friends, customers, and vendors were invited to lunch with one request: Bring an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl.
This year, the gifts went to Rivertree Academy, a private Christian school in the city's Lake Como neighborhood.
Bikes, dolls, games, puzzles, and more were piled up on tables on the restaurant's patio.
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Rivertree Academy has 96 students, and with so many toys donated, their siblings will also have a gift under the tree on Christmas morning.
"We have so many families that have shared with us that because of inflation and different things that are happening in their families that they weren't sure they were actually going to have a Christmas. And this opportunity came about and we're just thrilled that this came about and that each one of our students will have a Christmas this year," said Justina Jenkins, Ph.D., the academy's head of school.
The Garcia-Lancarte says the appreciation luncheon started decades ago when Joe T. Garcia himself would deliver food to customers to thank them for their business.
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The next generations changed it up by inviting customers to the restaurant and asking them to bring toys to donate to kid-based nonprofits.
