Pregnant mom seeks joyful Christmas for son with some help from Item Santa

LYNN – Nine months pregnant and freshly out of an emergency shelter for the homeless, a Lynn mother asks Item Santa to make the Christmas season brighter for her young son.In a humble letter to Item Santa, she wrote, “I’m requesting help this year because I just got out of a shelter with my son and I’m currently not working because I’m nine months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy. I would like to give my son a great Christmas. After all he has been through, he deserves to be happy.”She did not ask for any specific gift for her son, only that the combined philanthropy of The Daily Item and the Salvation Army touch her life, as it has for thousands of others since it began 44 years ago.When this newspaper first agreed to put its resources behind the fundraising campaign by publicizing stories and pleas for assistance, donations tallied only $3,269.By 2002 – the best year in the charity’s history – the annual sum of contributions had reached $144,880, surpassing the 2001 total by less than $10.The list of Item Santa contributors is a lengthy one and the amounts range from a few dollars to many thousands. It is difficult to say how each dollar affects the lives of the less fortunate, but the collective impact gains focus through the heartfelt letters that arrive daily.Although this newspaper does not publish the names of the needy who are reaching out for help, they are as real as bank foreclosures, job loss, major illness, domestic violence, homelessness or any of the other dark situations that diminish the quality of life and tend to make for an unhappy holiday. Their plights are authenticated by social workers, clergy or school officials who sign off on the letters requesting assistance.”Thank you for your help. God bless you and happy holidays,” wrote the expectant mother.To make a donation, clip the coupon on page A11 in today’s Daily Item and mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, P.O. Box 951, Lynn, MA 01903.For more information, call the Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.