ASTORIA — 'Tis the season for giving.
A kind-hearted 11-year-old girl in Queens took on the role of Santa this holiday, leaving a bag of her toys under the Christmas tree in Astoria Park "for any family who might need them to give to their children," according to the note she left with the donations.
"I was cleaning up my room and I had some used toys and some toys that I never played with. Instead of throwing them out, I decided to put it in the neighborhood," said sixth-grader Trinity Sanchez. "So families who need them...they could have a present for their kids."
Trinity said she filled a gift bag with goodies — including Barbies, board games and Furby dolls — and left them Monday under the park's decorated tree with a note imploring others "to take anything you like."
Dad Peter Sanchez said his daughter has donated her toys before, giving them away to a group foster home in years past. This year she wanted to give them to the neighborhood, he said.
"I figured it was a cool idea and we could try it and see what happened," he said, adding that the items included dolls that were new and hadn't been taken out of the box. He posted about Trinity's act of kindness on the "People of Astoria" Facebook page to help spread the word.
The gift bag was still under the tree on Wednesday, with some toys still inside, wrapped in a plastic bag to protect them from the rain.
Another gift bag had also been left nearby with what appeared to be a book or photo album inside; it was unclear who left it there, though Sanchez hopes his daughter's good deed might have inspired another.
"We figured it might bring some joy to some households," he said.
