630 CHED Santas Anonymous delivery days ready to go with new protocols amid COVID-19 pandemic

“We need to get this done because how many people have been looking forward to Christmas and looking forward — you know, the little kids, it’s about the kids in the end,” executive director Lana Nordlund said. “And and we need to get those gifts out to them.”

Unlike years past, delivery drivers have had to pre-register for a timeslot to pick up the packages. In order to keep the crowds out of Santas Depot, drivers will go through a curbside pickup type of setup.

“All the drivers are going to congregate in the Burns parking lot, which is literally right across the street from us,” Nordlund said. “And then because they’ve been booked in 15-minute increments, when their 15-minute time slot appears, then the volunteers there will say, ‘OK, now you can go over to Santas Depot.'”

Once the drivers arrive at the depot, porters will bring out up to eight gift packages for them to deliver. The porters will help the driver scan the bags using the Santas drivers app and will help load the bags into the vehicle. After that, the driver will be able to pull forward and out of the parking lot.

“Safety is the utmost top of our list,” Nordlund said. 

The most import thing, Nordlund said, is volunteers can’t just show up at Santas Depot looking to help.

“Every single thing that is being done this weekend, every single shift, has been preregistered,” she said.

“So whether you’re a delivery driver, you’re a dispatcher, you’re a porter, everything has had to be preregistered because we have to limit how many people are inside the building at any time, as well as how many people are congregating outside at any time.”

While there are no further opportunities to support Santas at the depot this year, the charity does still need monetary support to cover things like batteries and books that were needed when Santas was running short.

To donate, visit the Santas website.