Spreading Christmas cheer in July
Jul. 18—PITTSTON — It's never too early for a little Christmas cheer — especially when you serve the community as faithfully and exceptionally as the Greater Pittston Santa Squad.
The Santa Squad, formed in 2018 as a way to help bring toys and presents to children of the Greater Pittston area who may otherwise go without during the holidays, held its annual "Christmas in July" celebration and fundraiser at the Susquehanna Brewing Co. outdoor tent on Sunday afternoon.
"We have food here from over 20 different area restaurants, families have chipped in," said one of the Squad's founders, Tony Marranca. "We're just here to raise money for kids."
The Squad, almost entirely grassroots and run off donations and help from the community, received just that on Sunday.
Tickets for the Christmas in July celebration were sold in advance at a price of $30, with the ticket entitling everyone to a hot meal, a couple beers and a great time listening to live music and hanging with friends and family.
In just the first 30 minutes of the celebration, more than 70 attendees had made their way into the SBC tent — a total of over $2,000 raised just off those tickets, not factoring in people yet to arrive, or funds raised from the basket raffle and 50/50 drawings.
It was a great start to another successful fundraising campaign for the Santa Squad, who will turn around and use that money to help struggling families give their kids a magical Christmas.
The organization has come a long way from when it was first formed, according to Marranca.
"We started in 2018 with helping 100 kids. ... Last year, we were up to 1,200 kids," he said.
By Marranca's own admission, the Santa Squad was formed almost accidentally, with the birth of the Squad coming at a touch football game played by Marranca and several of his friends and fellow Squad members.
When Marranca heard that the Salvation Army was falling behind gathering toys to give out for the holiday season, he came up with a plan to help out.
"I said to my friends 'Let's set up a tarp at our game, have people come by and watch, and drop a toy'... Same with the players, we made it a toy donation to get in," Marranca said.
"We were hoping for about 50 toys, we ended up with 500."
And from there, the Santa Squad was born. The Squad still focuses on the Greater Pittston Area, though Marranca said that they also receive lists from several local charities and various organizations that they help out with, as well.
Sunday's celebration provided a huge boost to the group's fundraising efforts, and also doubled as a fun day out for the community, having a good day while also doing a good deed.
It was a no-brainer to purchase a ticket for David and Mary Beth Morris, from right up the road in Jenkins Township.
"It's a great privilege to help those less fortunate," David said.
The food was served at about 1:30 p.m. as guests made their way inside to fix themselves a plate. Live music courtesy of Friendly Fyre kicked off at 2 p.m., and while they were waiting, several of the guests purchased raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes.
The fun afternoon could not have been possible without the help of the Squad's other members and a great team of volunteers, with Marranca very quick to praise those around him for their help putting this all together.
The work put in is a small price to pay for the end result, helping make Christmas a very merry time for the children of the community.
"There's a lot of bad stuff in the world today, we just want to feel good and help people," Marranca said. "To see your friends and to see restaurants step up ... it's amazing."
