Santa and Filthy Cares nonprofit surprise families with gifts on Christmas morning

DETROIT, Mich. (FOX 2) – When 4-year-old Addison met Santa Claus on Christmas morning, she pointed at him and smiled.

He then gave her a gift.

“Ho ho ho,” Santa shouted with a smile.

“Say I like Santa,” Addison’s mom said to her while holding her hand.

“I like Santa,” she said.

Volunteers and friends of the nonprofit Filthy Cares walked up and down Revere Street, off of 7 Mile, knocked on doors and surprised kids with gifts.

“Santa gave me a bunch of gifts,” said Thurston Lane, 9. “I now have two remote-controlled cars.

“The annual Adopt-A-Block event was organized by Grammy-nominated music producer Filthy Rockwell and his nonprofit Filthy Cares. He was with Santa and the volunteers as they unloaded the U-Haul and delivered the gifts.

“It means everything you know,” Rockwell said. “When I was young it was a dream I had that one day somebody would knock on the door with a gift because sometimes I didn’t get a gift when I was young.

“However, he made sure each kid on the block received a gift. He joked that he didn’t go to the Dollar Store to buy them. They were donated new, gift wrapped, and put into festive bags.

“It’s anything from bicycles, footballs, basketballs, Barbie dolls, I mean, you name it,” said Shakeena Melbourne, a member of the Filthy Cares Board of Directors.

Rockwell said the Revere block wasn’t chosen at random. It’s a place where his mentor and friend — and renown funk/soul/electronic producer — Joseph “Amp” Fiddler once lived.

“He was like an uncle to me,” Rockwell said. “He just past recently. So I just wanted to come to Amp’s block and, you know, bless Amp’s neighbors with some gifts.

“The group delivered dozens of gifts that morning, and when they were finished they drove to another block.

Rockwell said he was glad to give back to his community. Others were grateful to help him out and the kids.

“The faces we saw today: the cheers, the smiles, the tears — we saw some tears — felt great,” said Curtis Lyons, volunteer, and associate of Filthy Cares.