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EXCLUSIVE: Go Inside Our Holiday Dinner & Toy Drive

Published on December 11, 2018

We collected over 100 gifts for Toys For Tots at Buca di Beppo!

December is filled everything we love: food, family, friendship, and fun. It’s also a great time to reflect on the previous year and get excited for what’s to come in 2019. So we invited our favorite friends to celebrate at our first-ever holiday dinner at Buca di Beppo!

But we all know that the best part about the holiday season is the spirit of giving back, and spreading love to those who are less fortunate. So that’s why we made our dinner a toy drive – all of your faves, like Raven’s Home stars Sky Katz and Navia Robinson, brought amazing toys with them and we collected over 100 toys for Toys For Tots!

Jenna Ortega opened up about what inspires her to spread joy. “I think it’s important to give back at any time, but at Christmastime it’s especially important because it’s a time for family, love, and celebration – and not everybody has those things,” she explains. “It’s a better time than ever to give back so people feel appreciated and can join in on the holiday spirit.”

And despite the fact that she had a long night shoot ahead of her on ABC’s American Housewife, Meg Donnelly was all smiles when she arrived a huge bag of Paw Patrol, Hot Wheels, and Hatchimals toys! “The holidays are all about family, and there are some kids out there who aren’t as fortunate as some of us who have a lot of family to spend them with, so I think it’s really important to give back,” she says.

BFFs Carson Lueders, Hayden Summerall, and Greg Marks all arrived together – and with footballs! “It’s important to spread love and positivity,” says Carson.

“Not everyone has a bunch of gifts under the tree,” adds Greg. “We want to make sure everyone has a great holiday – and so should you!”

“Often, people take what they have for granted,” says Indiana Massara. “The holidays are a great time to not only give back to those in need, but also to appreciate your friends and family and all they do for you.”

“Around Christmastime, there’s a lot of fun, jolly spirit and I think people are more encouraged to give back in whatever way they can,” says Total Eclipse’s Steffan Argus, in between bites of pizza.

“It can be anything– working a night at a homeless shelter, building houses, or donating toys, like we are tonight.”

There was no shortage of food…

Or FUN! Check out some pics from our portrait studio:

NIA SIOUX, NAVIA ROBINSON, DANIELLA PERKINS & SKY KATZ

LILIA BUCKINGHAM

JILLIAN SHEA SPAEDER, EMILY SKINNER, LILIA BUCKINGHAM, ANNA CATHCART & NIA SIOUX

JAKE CLARK & JILLIAN SHEA SPAEDER

LILIA BUCKINGHAM, ANNA CATHCART & EMILY SKINNER

JADA FACER, JORDYN JONES & BRENNA D’AMICO

JAKE CLARK & DEVENITY PERKINS

SKY KATZ

RIELE & REIYA DOWNS

NAVIA ROBINSON & SKY KATZ

We also loved the Descendants 3 reunion between Brenna D’Amico and Anna Cathcart! “I think it’s so much fun when everyone gets together and gives back to the community,” Anna smiles. “I love doing different volunteering events when I’m back home in Canada and here.” She even told us about an initiative in Canada where she helped fill an entire ambulance with toys!

And how cute are Connor Finnerty and Siena Agudong? “We’re so lucky and appreciative to have such great families and be around all our loved ones, but not a lot of people are that lucky,” says Connor.

Siena adds, “It’s so important to give back to children who aren’t as fortunate and cheer them up and give them something to feel happy about!” Aww!

A huge thanks to all of the stars who attended and helped spread so much love this holiday season.

We also want to thank the amazing team at Buca Di Beppo, especially Georgina and Monti, who so kindly allowed us to use their space and provided the delicious dinner!

To see how you can donate toys near you, visit ToysForTots.org, or to learn about other opportunities to give back in your local area, visit VolunteerMatch.org.

Stay tuned for exclusive interviews from the event, coming soon to YouTube, and check out more stunning portraits by Irvin Rivera (Graphics Metropolis) below!

NAVIA ROBINSON