With gratitude for your support, Secret Santa Over Atlanta is celebrating our 11th year of helping local families in need at Christmas.
The past few years have been trying for many families with covid, business shutdowns and hiring freezes. Several families have been affected with cancer and have had difficulty paying bills due to rising food and gas costs. Usually, this means that Christmas for their children is not possible, and this is where your donations and Secret Santa Over Atlanta really make the difference.
This year we identified five local families, including 19 children and one from Winship Cancer Institute, overwhelmed with medical bills. We kicked off the season Thanksgiving week with the help of our elves home from colleges across the country who helped us get a jumpstart preparing all the goodies for the families.
One thing we noticed this year was how humble the requests were. Most families asked for shoes, jackets, and other clothing items. At least two families did not have a tree, so we made sure they will have one (complete with lights and ornaments). We also added lunchboxes filled with healthy snacks and drinks and purchased groceries for all the families.
Of course, all the children gave us a list of their “wishes” from Santa – including basketballs, legos, toy cars, art supplies, and dolls. In Secret Santa Over Atlanta tradition, Santa will also read “The Night Before Christmas” to all the children and leave the book for them to enjoy for years.
Santa and Ms. Claus have been checking inventories twice, ordering Christmas trees, ornaments, stars, and stockings. Thanks to your generosity, the Amazon wishlists have already been 100% fulfilled!
We are still accepting donations through PayPal and will begin deliveries the weekend of December 16th.