DALLAS — For Rosa Gonzales and her daughters, this holiday season is like no other.
“My husband is no more with us. It’s kind of a little hard time,” said Gonzales.
Her husband, Julian Garcia, passed away last year from an illness. Gonzales said aside from family, Julian’s two loves were the Dallas Cowboys and cooking.
“He cooked Chinese food, Mexican food, any kind of food,” Gonzales told WFAA.
Now, that falls on her but not without support from her community: the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas.
“The Boys and Girls Club, they called and told us we have a surprise for you. Come to the store,” said Gonzales.
As her family arrived at Tom Thumb in Deep Ellum, so did someone else. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas and Tom Thumb to surprise Gonzales’ family with a pre-Thanksgiving shopping spree.
“I've been one of those families as far as less fortunate. I couldn't get everything that I wanted at the grocery store. So, for me, it's more so just making that dream come true for them,” said Lamb. “I feel as if I'm myself, you know, just making people happy, fulfilling their dreams, making them able to have the same fulfillment.”
Lamb and Gonzales’ family made their way down each Tom Thumb aisle picking healthy foods and sweets.
“We got a lot of stuff, and I like all the stuff that he got us,” said Roselyn Garcia, Gonzales’ youngest daughter.
“You could tell this was making an impact on them as a family. They didn't have to worry about food, about groceries for the next few months,” said Karen Tan, Boys and Girls Club President and CEO.
Tom Thumb also presented the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas with a $25,000 grant to go towards the organization’s activities and families.
“I think every family has their own needs. And so when I think of the families that come to boys and girls club, not all of them have financial needs, but a lot,” Tan added. “We know that people who are challenged in living paycheck to paycheck. They might be just focusing on just enough to get the food on the table, but maybe not on those special things that make holidays special. So now these kids maybe will have a better holiday because of this.”
Providing a better holiday is what Lamb wants for the family as well.
“I want to be that difference maker for them. I take a lot of pride in it just as well as I do scoring touchdowns,” Lamb told WFAA.
“I didn’t really think this would happen, but I’m grateful for it,” said Krystel Garcia, Gonzales’ oldest daughter.
She is grateful and also reminded of the one she lost, her father, Julian.
“I look at his face and he's very, very happy like he was alive,” said Gonzales.
She said she knew Julian would have loved this special holiday too.
The Boys and Girls Club is also hosting its Santa Project to help families during the holidays. For more information on how to get involved, click here.