With snow on the ground, Christmas music over the airwaves and December on the calendar, 630 CHED Santas Anonymous is hoping to see some renewed enthusiasm.
The calendar is the most daunting part; delivery weekend for Santas Anonymous is less than two weeks away and there aren’t nearly enough toys to make sure every child in Edmonton has something under the Christmas tree.
Head Elf and executive director Lana Nordlund stopped by the Afternoon News with word they’ve actually had to turn away volunteers this year, as there simply aren’t enough toys to sort.
“For a lot of people, this is part of their Christmas tradition,” Nordlund said.
“Ultimately we’re not there to provide a volunteer opportunity; we’re there to provide the Christmas gifts for the people we deliver too.
“But if there’s nothing for the volunteers to do, it’s hard to turn them away or send them an email to say there’s nothing to sort.”
For more than 60 years, 630 CHED Santas Anonymous has worked to ensure more than 25,000 kids in the Edmonton area get a gift on Christmas morning. The organization makes sure each package contains a book, a stuffed animal and two other toys. At least one must be something that doesn’t require batteries, assembly or supervision, so the kids can start playing right away.
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And when donations are light, it’s not as simple as toning down the amount of toys per package.
LISTEN BELOW: 630 CHED Santas Anonymous Executive Director Lana Nordlund on the Afternoon News
“We don’t have enough for the under threes (age) and we don’t have enough for the nine to 12-year-olds,” Nordlund explained.
“That’s where you struggle because even if you cut down, you can’t give the same gift to those children.”
And Santas Anonymous wants to make it as easy as possible for you to donate.
“Every major shopping mall has a box, as well as the Costcos, Toys R Us, Superstores,” Nordlund said. “So those are your main locations. And then many businesses and other organizations also have them, there’s a map on Santasanonymous.ca.”
“I’m hoping now that the snow has hit and December is on the calendar, people realize that even though Christmas is three weeks away, delivery weekend is two weeks. So we need the stuff and we need it now!”
You can also help Santas Anonymous by tuning in to 630 CHED on Thursday for the 25th 630 CHED Live Auction.
You can enter to win prizes including a weekend Jasper getaway, tickets to Christmas in July with Ryan Jespersen & Kari Skelton, and more.
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