44th annual Item Santa drive begins today

LYNN – Thanksgiving is over but the season for giving starts today with the kickoff of the 44th annual Item Santa drive to help provide for Lynn area children on Christmas morning.More than 1,000 families had applied for assistance from Item Santa as of Wednesday and between now and Christmas Eve the Item will tell some of their stories. Letters to Item Santa have poured in from parents, grandparents and children; some that pull at the heartstrings like the one written by 7-year-old Katelynn.”Dear Santa, All I want is for my mom to get better. I love you,” Katelynn wrote.Thousands of people have donated amounts large and small for the past 43 years to make Christmas a little brighter for thousands of children like Katelynn.”Last year we shattered records with the numbers of people served,” said Capt. David Payton of the Salvation Army Lynn office.The Item Santa Fund in 2009 provided 2,486 clothing vouchers and toys for 3,595 children.”These numbers represent a real spike in the stats reflecting the local need,” Payton said.Last year Item Santa raised $116,600, the fourteenth consecutive year the drive exceeded $100,000.Item Santa had its biggest fundraising year in 2002, with donations of $144,880, topping 2001’s total by just $10.The drive has been bolstered in recent years by major donations from the General Electric Employees’ Good Neighbor Fund, Eastern Bank employees, Connell Limited Partnership and several anonymous contributors.Most of the money raised, however, is from the thousands who donate small amounts in memory of a loved one, in lieu of trading gifts with friends or family members and from those who roll down their window to make a donation at Santa Island in Wyoma Square, founded 15 years ago by David Solimine Sr. The many collection teams at Santa Island, led by the Lynn DPW Team, raise on average 20 percent of the Item Santa Fund’s yearly total.”It’s those small donations, and the many checks for $25 and $35, that makes this a true community effort,” Payton said.Daily Item President and Publisher Peter H. Gamage said, “We have long admired the participation of all Greater Lynn communities, whether through golf tournaments, bingo winnings, classroom donations or corporate donations. It’s neighbor-helping-neighbor, which is the underlining spirit of the Santa Fund.”The deadline to apply for assistance from Item Santa has passed, but those with questions should contact the Salvation Army Lynn office at 781-598-0673. Distribution of gifts and vouchers will be held by appointment Dec. 13 through 16.Every donation made to Item Santa will, as in past years, be listed in The Daily Item. A donation form will be printed in The Daily Item each day and a form can also be accessed on itemlive.com.Donations can be dropped off or mailed to The Daily Item, 38 Exchange St., P.O. Box 951, Lynn, MA 01903.