When Brandon Marshall heard that the Angel Tree project at W.R. Castle Elementary School needed a little help, he knew he would have to lend a hand.

“I came to Mr. (Stephen) Young and he said that we have a bunch of kids that may not have Christmas this year,” Marshall said, referencing an earlier conversation with the school’s principal. “For me, that’s unacceptable.”

He asked his company, RealTime Acquisitions, if they would be interested in helping.

“They kind of didn’t even put a limit on it. They just said, ‘How many kids do you need covered?” said Family Resources and Youth Services Director Shelley Lemaster. “We know for sure that our kids here at W.R. Castle are actually going to have a good Christmas. We don’t have to worry about any of them getting left out.”

She said 70 percent of the students are low-income and may not be as fortunate as others.

“What may be small to us is big to them,” Lemaster said.

“They were very shocked because they never had that many presents before.”

School representatives said the FRYSC is always there to meet the needs of the students, but it is good to see some extra blessings come their way.

“Every year, we always have people come through,” said Young. “And it’s just amazing to see the way we’re blessed.”

“This is gonna go much further than that,” Lemaster added. “That’s what Christmas is all about.”