Don't be fooled by his tough exterior -- Brantley Gilbert is channeling Santa Claus himself this year by teaming up with the educational publisher Bendon, Inc. to bring gifts to children in need.
The country rock singer partnered with the popular children's book and toy company to help donate $10.5 million worth of merchandise to Toys for Tots, a marine organization that provides toys and other educational materials to underprivileged kids across the country.
Bendon CEO Ben Ferguson told The Huffington Post that Gilbert was "instrumental" in organizing the donation.
"The items that we chose are brand new items featuring some of the best licenses in the world," Ferguson said. Bendon's books and toys boast a host of characters that kids love like Hello Kitty, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dora the Explorer and more.
Gilbert's participation in the deal comes from a personal place.
“Growing up in rural Georgia, I know that sometimes Christmas isn’t a time of joy for some kids and our contribution might be all they receive this year so I really wanted our donation to matter,” Gilbert said in a statement.
Also on HuffPost:
