FLORISSANT, Mo. — For many people, the holiday season is filled with happiness and love, but it can be an incredibly difficult time for grieving families. One mother has made it her mission to put a smile on those families' faces.
Precious Jones knows what it's like to struggle during the holidays. She lost her son, Preston, to gun violence in 2022. That's why she's hosting a toy drive hoping to be a beacon of light for other families.
"It's important to help families that are grieving, because you never know if it might be you, so it's really important," Jones said. "It's just so much love, you're excited about them sneaking into gifts and sneaking under the tree, and when one is missing, nothing is the same."
The toy drive is happening on Friday, Nov. 29 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Bus Loop Burgers at 2632 N. Hwy 67 Florissant, MO 63033. Aside from brand-new toys, they're also asking for winter clothes or electronics.
Anyone who can't make it to the toy drive can still drop off toys or adopt a family. Just contact Precious Jones at 417-493-0757 or donate financially here.
It's a mission that's near and dear to her heart. As a mom who's still grieving, she said the holidays are the toughest. That's why Jones created the foundation, Breaking Generational Poverty, a nonprofit that resonated with Shyne Brown.
"It just so happened that her organization is focused on families that have been affected by gun violence, which I am extremely familiar with, my family has been affected on more than one occasion," Brown said.
Brown is President of Sistaz by Choice Motorcycle Club, a nonprofit that serves their community by focusing on at-risk youth.
"We don't just ride these motorcycles. We want to make sure the community knows that we are here for them and motorcycle clubs don't just ride, we serve the community, we keep our boots on the ground, and we do whatever we can to make this community as safe as possible," Brown said.
She is one of the many partners helping Jones with a holiday toy drive for grieving families at Bus Loop Burgers in Florissant. Brianna Dooley, Bus Loop Burgers' Human Resource Manager, said they are proud to host this for the community.
"We want people to know that it's bigger than burgers with us. We don't just serve good food, even though we do serve good food. We also care about people; that's the bottom line. We want to serve good food to good people," Dooley said.
It's an event that also hits close to home for Express Towing Owner Daniel Williams, because he knows what it's like to be on the receiving end. It's why he wanted to get involved and help put on the toy drive.
"I was one of those kids that didn't have much growing up and we had to go get donated things, so I've come from a rough life, and I did a lot to turn my life around and it just feels so great and so good to be able to give back to the community," Williams said.
Another partner is Jim Willfred, the founder of A Second Chance at Life. He created the nonprofit after his son died on June 20, 2023.
"We reach out to anyone with substance use disorder to try and help them to get resources. We bring awareness to the community on what's going on. There's so many that still don't know about fentanyl and that's what I focus on is the danger of Fentanyl and opioids," Willfred said.
He also said it's important people come and help the community out because grieving families need a reason to smile this holiday season.
"There's people out here that don't know they're loved and there's people out here that need love, and a little bit of love goes a long way," Willfred said.
"We really want the whole family to be happy. Just bring some joy into the household," Jones said.