With less than two weeks to go until Christmas, there has never been a better time to reach into your pockets and help families who are struggling to give their children a Christmas to remember. Between heating bills and food bills and all the other expenses of daily living, many people are having a harder time than ever keeping up.

And with the Thanksgiving holiday coming late this year, many families are also struggling to get ready for the Christmas season, not just in terms of a shortened shopping season, but in addressing so many more challenges than in past years that are hindering their ability to give their children a happy holiday. 

Couple that with the reality that some local charitable organizations are finding it increasingly more difficult to meet their client’s needs and demands and ensure that children, our most vulnerable group, wake up with smiles on their faces on Christmas morning.

That’s where you come in. You can help fulfill the dreams of those in need. Your donation, be it big or small, can help do just that for so many people, like a grandmother who recently wrote to Item Santa asking for help to put some toys under the tree for her 7-year-old grandson. She said her grandson loves toy cars, Deadpool, basketball, and soccer. He lives with his father, a single parent who has custody.

“He (the father) works really hard to pay the rent and feed my grandson who has not seen his mother in more than four years,” the grandmother wrote. “Please help make this year great for him.”

Now in its 58th 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: salvationarmyma.org/itemsanta.

All donations are listed in Item print editions through the month of December and into 2025, 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 the Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.