Man makes sure 7,000 foster kids have presents

AUBURN HILLS (AP) - Almost 7,000 foster children across Michigan can thank to a guy who lives a lot closer than the North Pole for their Christmas presents. His name is Mike Pipia and he's a global logistics manager for the Auburn Hills-based Guardian Industries Corp. The Lansing State Journal reports that Pipia has been making sure kids have a gift to open for 30 years. Today, what started with him helping Operation Good Cheer find a semi-truck to deliver toys to foster children has turned into something a lot bigger. Every year, Pipia spends the first weekend of December collecting more than 20,000 donated gifts for 7,000 foster children. Then, with the help of 2,000 volunteers, he sorts the presents and stuffs them into 250 airplanes and 34 semi-trucks for delivery around Michigan. Published: Thu, Dec 27, 2018