Item Santa charity drive kicks off 43rd year

LYNN – With the nation facing the toughest economic times since the Great Depression, it’s no surprise that hundreds of needy Greater Lynn families are looking to Item Santa for some holiday relief.The Item Santa charity today kicks off its 43rd consecutive year of charitable fund raising. The campaign will once again be conducted in partnership with the Salvation Army, which handles the distribution of food, gifts and toys.Due to the generosity of Item readers, last season’s initiative raised $130,956.51 ? the fourth highest total since Item Santa was conceived in 1966. The 2008 total marked 13 consecutive years donations exceeded $100,000, a measure of pride for Peter H. Gamage, president and publisher of The Daily Item, for those community businessmen and advocates who helped attain the goal.”Our hope, as always, is to make Christmas a bit brighter and more pleasant for those many less fortunate families in the region, especially in a year that has brought so much economic hardship,” Gamage said.Like last year, those in need were required to submit letters of request directly to the Salvation Army, rather than to the newspaper. Wednesday was the final deadline for submitting letters.Those seeking to make a donation can do so by using the Item Santa coupon published in The Daily Item or available online at www.itemlive.com where it can be downloaded and printed.Donations can also be made at Santa Island on Broadway in Wyoma Square, an annual collection site overseen by the Solimine family. Santa Island usually accounts for about 20 percent of the total Item Santa Fund campaign proceeds. Anyone looking to volunteer for Santa Island should contact the Solimine Funeral Home directly.The Salvation Army will distribute gifts on assigned dates in mid-December.In 2007, Item Santa raised $117,426.30. In 2006, the campaign did even better, bringing in $125,640. Although 2006 was not a record-breaker it ranked among the top-five years in Item Santa history.In 2005, the fund-raiser brought in $128,318. In 2004, Item Santa collected $115,010, only a few thousand dollars below the 2003 total of $124,386.89.The best overall year was in 2002, which saw donations reach $144,880.87. The record-breaker was a mere $10 more than the 2001 total.The history of Item Santa began during the Vietnam War, when the newspaper agreed to put its resources behind the fund-raising campaign by publicizing stories and pleas for assistance. The first effort brought in $3,269.”Last year’s Item Santa drive went beyond all expectations,” said Sean Leonard, editorial page editor at The Daily Item. “The people of Greater Lynn once again demonstrated their generosity is recession-proof.”Several businesses and organizations in the city repeatedly have helped make the campaign a success, included GE, Eastern Bank and the Connell Limited Partnership.Anyone with questions about the Item Santa should contact Leonard at 781-593-7700, ext. 229.