NBA star Norman Powell is taking away the financial stress for some San Diego families ahead of the holidays.

According to NBC San Diego, the Toronto Raptors player returned to his hometown to donate $100,000 to more than 200 families ahead of the Christmas holiday. On Saturday (Dec. 19), the donation went to families of Lincoln High School, which is Powell’s former school, to assist them with holiday shopping. Although he is currently traveling with his team, his mother and other family members helped hand out the funds.

“I know you’ve heard ‘pay it forward,’ and so every opportunity we’re paying it forward and to our Southeast community, Lincoln High School community, we try to give back and do something there,” said his mother, Sharon Powell.

Ramon Galindo of NBC shared video of some of the families shopping at a local Walmart. The families grabbed new toys, electronics, food, clothing and household items. “It’s a game-changer for me because we weren’t going to get gifts, but he gave us an opportunity to come out and get Christmas gifts, so I’m very thankful for this,” said Abraham Jarvis, a student who attends Lincoln High School.

The families were very appreciative of Powell’s kind gesture. “Not a lot of people do that — come back to their community to give back to their community. He’s a Lincoln alumni, so I’m very grateful to Norman Powell for this opportunity,” said Vella Jarvis, mother of a Lincoln High School student.

“With everything that’s going on wrong, at least we have some positivity in our community right now,” said Verneal Smith, the mother of a Lincoln High School senior. “It means a lot especially with everything going on with covid, kids doing virtual learning. Today, they get to see some friends they probably haven’t seen since March.”

Last month, Powell bought groceries for 250 San Diego families for Thanksgiving. His mother said that they might start a charitable organization to be able to help more families in San Diego.

Check out video of some of the families shopping below.