Help for the holidays
Operation Santa helping to make the season bright
A child offers her letter to Santa at the
Pasadena, TX, Post Office.
Photo: The Pasadena Citizen.
The Postal Service is helping volunteers across the nation fulfill holiday wishes for needy children and their families.
Through the 102-year-old Operation Santa program, volunteers sign up to answer letters addressed to Santa Claus. Many letters come from kids who ask for basic necessities, such as food, clothing and shoes.
An estimated 6,000 letters have been received in Chicago. Volunteer Matt Beresh told the local CBS station he received a letter from a teenager who wrote, “I just want a suit. I just want to wear a suit at my high school graduation.”
Another letter read, “My dad needs cologne and he needs clippers so he can cut our hair because there’s not enough money for us all to go to the barbershop.”
In New York, more than 300,000 letters need answering, according to chief elf and Customer Relations Coordinator Pete Fontana.
“I can tell you that amazing things happen during this time of year, and many of those wishes and dreams are fulfilled here by Operation Santa,” Fontana said.