Gavin may no longer have gifts to give to people, but that doesn't mean people can't give him things.

Case in point: Bruce coming over with two bowls of stew, one of which he passes to the guard who's currently watching over Gavin to thank him for his/her hard work. The other bowl is passed to the elf himself.

"Here, I got this from the kitchens. You could use a little perking up."