Many organizations reach out to people in need, especially around the holidays. Pikes Peak Community Action Agency and Old Chicago Restaurant are no different in that respect. However, their delivery of these holiday services is leaps and bounds beyond your typical holiday meal.

Friday, nearly 500 people were fed and received gifts as part of the 5th annual Miracle on Tejon Street. The event brought together families struggling financially, with volunteers who gave up their holiday to serve. A traditional holiday meal was served buffet style, and families had the opportunity to get their pictures taken professionally, as well as meet Santa.

Kids were given gift bags filled with toys, books, and clothes, while adults were handed a gift card to Target. The experience will be a memorable one for many of the families who attended. "I didn't expect anything like this," says Rainbow Riley, mother of three with another on the way. Her children hadn't had an opportunity to see Santa this year, needless to say they were excited to sit on his lap and thank him for their gifts.

The families invited to the event are those who could use a hand up, not a hand out. Many are on the brink of losing it all. But for one day, they could laugh and smile, forgetting about their troubles for a while, all because of the generosity of the dozens of volunteers who made the event a reality.