Unable to find a new permanent home, Santa Cops of Larimer County to dissolve
After being unable to find a permanent home, Santa Cops of Larimer County is dissolving.
The nonprofit announced the news on Facebook Saturday after searching for a new permanent location since early 2022.
"We are coming to you today with very heavy hearts," the post said. "As a board, we have made the decision to dissolve Santa Cops of Larimer County. We unfortunately were not able to secure a lease (of at least three years) within our budget that we could occupy year-round. This decision did not come lightly from our board as many of us have worked tirelessly to come up with a solution. We truly appreciate the support of the community, our agencies, and to those of you that made suggestions."
Santa Cops of Larimer County has been giving gifts to children in need during the holiday season for 35 years. Volunteers from Fort Collins Police Services, Loveland Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office spent weeks each holiday season wrapping donated gifts before distributing them into the community in the days before Christmas, organizer and Fort Collins Police Services Assistant Chief Kristy Volesky previously told the Coloradoan. Their mission is to build relationships between law enforcement and the children in Larimer County.
Santa Cops lost its longtime space at The Outlets in Loveland in 2022 after the mall sold. The nonprofit found a temporary space for the 2022 holiday season but needed a permanent location to host wrap nights during the holidays and store donations year-round.
The nonprofit previously set a deadline of Aug. 31 to find a new space that fit its requirements — approximately 5,300 square feet that is either free or low-cost in Larimer County, with a lease of 3-5 years — and said if they didn't find a space by the end of August the nonprofit would dissolve.
Last year, Santa Cops delivered gifts to about 2,000 children. Gifts often include things like toy cars and stuffed animals, diapers, clothes, body spray, hair curlers and gift cards. Volesky previously compared the headquarters to Santa's workshop on gift-wrapping nights, with local law enforcement and their friends and families picking out gifts for specific children from a vast selection of donated and purchased items spread out in the staging area.
The board is still figuring out how the nonprofit's assets will be distributed, which it plans to sort out at a mid-September meeting, according to the Facebook post.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Santa Cops of Larimer County to dissolve after 35 years of gift giving
