BATON ROUGE - Kids with the mentoring program under Big Buddy teamed up with the Unified Jewish Congregation to shop for Christmas gifts for their families.

The Big Buddy program partners youth with mentors in their community to help prepare them for the workforce and develop social skills. They were able to team up Wednesday with mentor shoppers that helped them shop for each member of their family. 

“It is the perfect way to start the Christmas season. Such an outpour of love from the Unified Jewish Congregation and pure joy in the faces of the youth who are selected to participate," Executive Director Gaylynne Mack said. She has been coordinating this experience for over 25 years.