CHICAGO (CBS) — From the North Pole to a South Side Church Santa came calling at the Apostolic Faith Church, seeing to it that not one of the hundreds of boys and girls who showed up today left without a toy.

Beverly Foreman’s son received a car and an air hockey game. But his mother received a renewed sense faith in humanity.

“It means a lot it means so much, for the kids and us also,” said Foreman.

The Foremans were among the estimated one thousand people who showed up for toys, Christmas lunch and new or lightly used outer wear.

In all about $35,000 worth of merchandise was given away today to needy Chicago area residents.

Roy Brooms believes God had a hand in providing him with a coat hat and gloves.

“I’m cold he blessed me with a coat,” said Roy Brooms. “It means a whole lot.”

Danay Vance and her sister also waited in line for coats.

“It means a lot to me because I didn’t have one,” said Danay Vance. “I got a suede kind of coat with a fur hood. It’s warm.”

Vance says the coat warmed her body but the generosity of the church warmed her heart.

“It means so much because some of us out here don’t have nowhere to before Christmas so actually it means a lot,” said Vance.

“I would like to tell us that don’t have a family or a place to go merry Christmas happy New Year. I don’t have a family to be with, so it means a lot to me and these people they give you a sense of family,” said Vance.