The toys are in. They are stacked up neatly in the gym at the Salvation Army on Franklin Street.
They will reach their ultimate destination beginning today.
These are what your money, and your continued generosity, have produced. And it’s not just toys. Capt. Helen Johnson of the Lynn Salvation Army citadel said the organization was also able to buy coats, hats, underwear, gloves and socks so that people can survive the winter as well as receive a toy.
The gifts were delivered to the Salvation Army headquarters Thursday. Beginning 9 a.m. today, and ending at 1 p.m., those deemed eligible by the Salvation Army can come to the newly-refurbished gym and select gifts so that there will be something under the tree on Christmas morning for family members.
This year, Capt. Johnson said, the Salvation Army expects 650 families, “all with varying numbers of children” to be helped by the Item/Salvation Army fund this Christmas.
This is as good a time as any to talk about where the money we donate for the Item Santa fund goes, and how it translates into Christmas presents for the needy,
The Item Santa drive, which began in 1966, raises the funds. The Salvation Army, which partners with The Item, receives the donations and purchases the toys and clothes with it.
Obviously there is a direct correlation. The more we receive in donations, the more able we are to take care of a need that only grows annually. Somehow, it never seems to shrink.
And that could be for a variety of reasons. It isn’t merely people who can’t, or won’t, find jobs. Even people who are employed may not have enough money to afford Christmas presents, or much of anything beyond heat and utilities. The options among the “working poor” are not always that attractive, or plentiful. To borrow from Charles Dickens, as the Ghost of Christmas Present chides Ebenezer Scrooge for calling the poor of his time “the surplus population:” “Forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered what the surplus is, and where it is.”
These may only be the lines of a popular Christmas play, and our eyes may glaze over when we hear them sometimes, but they have real meaning. As Marley’s Ghost says elsewhere in “A Christmas Carol, “mankind was my business.”
And we sincerely hope, as we begin preparations in these last days before Christmas, that we realize it is ours as well.
Now in its 53rd year, the Item Santa fund helps to make Christmas brighter for the needy. To donate, clip the coupon in The Item and mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, PO Box 5, Lynn, MA 01903.
There is also a way to donate online, and have your contributions acknowledged, just click on the following link: https://newitemlive.wpengine.com/itemsanta.
All donations are listed in Item print editions through the month of December and into 2020, along with a brief message from each donor, if desired.
NOTE: The application period for aid from Item Santa has closed and The Item does not process applicants. All questions about the program and distribution of gifts should be directed to Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.
