Across the state, members of Cuomo's administration helped distribute donated toys, coats, and school supplies, including to kids at Action for a Better Community in Rochester.
The kids in ABC's Head Start program are between 3 and 4-years-old, and they come from low-income families. ABC president and CEO James Norman says this means that, around the holidays, families might have to make difficult decisions about what to provide their family with, and presents from Santa might not make the cut.
But thanks to a state-wide toy drive, Head Start kids will get at least one special gift this year.
"It's important that they have a chance to be happy for Christmas as well. Kids love toys: we got toys, we got kids."
Throughout the morning, kids filed through the room full of presents.
New York State Commissioner for the Office of Temporary and Disability Services Sam Roberts helped distribute the toys.
"It's sad to think but this might be the only gift that a child gets. I hope that's not the situation, but it might be, you just never know."
Roberts says this is one of the better parts of his job.
"When you deal with homeless situations, refugee situations, you deal with a lot of doom and gloom. So this is more uplifting, and it's a great service that we do and we just want to keep on doing it."
About 3000 toys were collected state-wide this year. Cuomo's office also helped collect and distribute coats and school supplies in cities across the state.
