Kanye West Hailed as "Hero" after Generous Christmas Donation

Culture

| LAST UPDATE 12/22/2021

By Alexa Alves
kanye west chicago charity
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Santa, who? He might be juggling Donda, divorce, and a recent Drake reconciliation, but leave it to 'Ye to squeeze in some holiday shopping. From his pricey donation to the praise it called for, here's why the rapper's latest venture is hailing him as the "modern-day Santa Claus."

On Sunday, December 19, Chi-Town's Englewood held a festive toy drive featuring over 4,000 toys and treats for the little ones. But not without the help of our Christian Genius Billionaire. As Chicago local, Stephanie Coleman revealed, West had donated almost all of the goodies up for grabs that day.

"I'm so proud that Kanye is, once again, responding to our request to help the children of Englewood and beyond," Coleman explained. "He is no stranger to our community. His presence has always been felt in our neighborhoods and he loves visiting, but this Christmas he has truly been our modern-day Santa Claus." 

While Mr. West wasn't in attendance, his presence was, no doubt, felt all around. "He is our hometown hero," Coleman added. "We want to thank him for understanding that children in Englewood, and on the South Side and in Chicago in general, some will be without this holiday... so today, we are here being a blessing."

Love him or hate him, we gotta give credit where credit is due: 'Ye is no stranger to giving back. In fact, if there's one thing he loves more than himself, it might just be paying tribute to his South Side roots. Back in March 2020, the Donda artist marked the latest of his charitable ventures after a hefty donation to Chicago's We Women Empowered. "I am beyond gratified to know that in all of the suffering we have seen... we get a call from heaven that someone wants to help," Josephine Wade, leader of the non-profit, announced at the time.

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As the richest Black man in U.S. history, we gotta applaud West for sharing his hefty earnings with the less fortunate. Check out alderman Coleman's page for yourself to see how you can get involved this holiday season. And, of course, don't forget to stay tuned for all the latest updates.