EDMONTON -- With the holidays just around the corner, Travis Chambers wanted to do something special.
“I tried to give away my Xbox and put it up on Facebook Marketplace," he told CTV News Edmonton.
"Probably got about 500 messages in the first day.”
That’s when he realized he could do a whole lot more.
“I don’t really come from much so I can only imagine what it’s like to be a parent struggling now, especially with COVID on top of that.”
So, with financial donations from family, friends, and coworkers, Chambers collected 17 Xbox consoles along with nearly 100 games and created a draw.
The first 10 people who entered the COVID Christmas Collective received an Xbox One or Xbox 360 free of charge.
Chambers said he received roughly 2,000 messages in just four days.
“I was emotionally touched,” he explained to CTV News Edmonton. "Just the stories, honestly. There were a lot of them that resonated with me personally.”
Chambers didn’t want to get into detail but said he received messages from people who were struggling financially, on disability, or currently unemployed.
And that he had been touched by the Edmontonians who reached out to help him… to help others.
“It’s been pretty cool to see everyone come together.”
