T&G Santa begins 85th year with call to all 'Santa's Helpers'

Michael McDermott, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
·3 min read
Volunteers sort boxes of toys that were purchased by the T&G Santa Fund to be distributed to needy children, last year at the Salvation Army in Worcester.
Volunteers sort boxes of toys that were purchased by the T&G Santa Fund to be distributed to needy children, last year at the Salvation Army in Worcester.

It wasn't long after I arrived at the Telegram & Gazette last year that I learned about the T&G Santa Fund.

And not long after that, I was at The Salvation Army along with members of the United Way of Central Massachusetts and other volunteers, sorting mountains of toys meant for children in need throughout the region. It was a morning full of smiles and a great illustration of what the Worcester community stands for.

Dating back to 1938, T&G Santa is now in its 85th year. It's a legacy that makes all of us here at the T&G proud.

The United Way is our indispensable partner in this effort, connecting us with local community service organizations to identify families in need.

Here's what Tim Garvin, the president and CEO of the United Way, says about T&G Santa: “Our United Way loves everything about the T&G Santa. Partnership between the United Way and the T&G. Partnership between individuals and businesses and companies and organizations. ALL of us together working to bring joy and hope to the children and families of Central Massachusetts.”

Last year, the the fund provided holiday gifts to more than 6,901 local children whose families struggle to provide the kind of joyous holiday that many of us take for granted. That was up significantly from the prior year. This year, the number will be 7,813 local children, served by 20 different agencies. (In the coming months, we'll be publishing stories about the work that some of these agencies do, and why T&G Santa is important to them.)

Today, we are marking the kickoff of our annual T&G fundraising drive. It is customary for the T&G editor to write a column at this time, reminding readers about the program and urging them to donate.

A restored sleigh that once promoted the T&G Santa Fund was on display in the lobby of the Mercantile Center at 100 Front St., the current home of the T&G newsroom, last year.
A restored sleigh that once promoted the T&G Santa Fund was on display in the lobby of the Mercantile Center at 100 Front St., the current home of the T&G newsroom, last year.

This year, that message is more urgent than ever. For while the number of children we serve has gone up in recent years, the pace of donations has not kept up.

We are committed to saying yes to all 7,813 children who are looking for our help this holiday season. We need our readers to come through to ensure that we can do the same next year, or else we may be faced with difficult choices.

Many, many of our readers have shown their generosity in the recent past, in all sorts of ways.

There are big, longtime supporters, like Steven Russell Bott, who gave $3,300 last year in honor of POWs and MIAs, and $3,300 in honor of his late father, George. Philanthropist Mary DeFeudis, who gave $2,000. Warren D. Bock gave $1,000 in honor of his grandchildren.

There are companies such as Greenberg, Rosenblatt, Kull & Bitsoli PC, a Worcester accounting firm that contributed $1,750; Lamoureux Ford of East Brookfield and Osterman Management LLC, which each gave $1,000.

There are civic groups, like the Retired Men's Club of Greendale, whose members contributed $1,452.

There were the students at Burncoat Middle School who raised $825, and students at Sutton Middle School who raised $678 and were rewarded with a lunchtime singing performance from their teachers.

Social studies teacher and class adviser Casey Cummins sings a Christmas song while students eat lunch at the Sutton Middle School Dec. 22, 2022.
Social studies teacher and class adviser Casey Cummins sings a Christmas song while students eat lunch at the Sutton Middle School Dec. 22, 2022.

Ad there are many, many others who gave contributions of $100, $50, $25 and even $5. Many of them chose to do so anonymously under the name "Santa's Helper."

We're grateful for all of them, and we'd be very grateful if once again our readers would step up to make sure this program remains sustainable in the years to come. I'm confident that they will.

Here are the ways you can donate:

• Go to telegram.com/santa to make a contribution using your credit cards.

• Print and complete the coupon at telegram.com/santa, and bring along with your donation to any Commerce Bank in Worcester.

• Print and complete the coupon and mail a check or money order to Telegram & Gazette Santa Fund, c/o Berkshire Bank, PO Box 15020, Worcester, MA 01615-0020.

Michael McDermott is executive editor of the Telegram & Gazette.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: T&G Santa Fund starts 85th year of donating toys to needy children