LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Children around Lake County have received Christmas surprises this holiday season thanks to the generosity of a celebrity chef and restaurateur who now makes his home here part-time.
This past week, a truckload of toys purchased by Guy Fieri arrived in Lake County, according to Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin.
Fieri is the star of several cooking shows, including “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” and “Guy's Grocery Games,” as well as an author and owner of numerous restaurants across the United States,
Martin estimated that more than 150 children received gifts through Fieri's efforts.
This year, the literal truckload of gifts included 46 bikes, which the sheriff's office augmented with helmets, Martin said.
Martin said the toys arrived in the county on Monday, and on Wednesday were delivered to children in foster care, at the local rancherias and those who were served by the District Attorney's Office Victim-Witness Division.
In addition, Martin said his deputies were given toys to distribute to children who they knew could use some help at Christmas.
Fieri, Martin said, knows that some children don't get as much as they should at the holidays.
This is the second year Fieri has donated toys to Lake County children, said Martin.
Fieri, who has a ranch in the south county, also made a point during the Valley fire last year of visiting first responders – including firefighters, law enforcement officers, the prison kitchen crew, and support staff at the command post in Lakeport – to offer support and encouragement, Martin said.
Martin said Fieri also headed up the effort to present the sheriff's office employee appreciation dinner. “He's truly a generous person.”
Fieri, who comes from a small town – he's from Ferndale in Humboldt County – has made a point of paying it forward and sharing his success.
He's also involved with a toy run in Sonoma County that benefits children that are served by a number of Northern California organizations, according to a statement he made earlier this month on his Facebook page.
Martin added of Fieri, “I'm glad he calls Lake County home, even if it's for part-time.”
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