One of the letters received by Item Santa this season comes from a mother doing everything she can to hold her family together while living on the narrowest of margins. As a single parent raising five young children, she works full time and prioritizes their basic needs — even when it means going without herself.
She explained that nearly every dollar she earns is spoken for.
“I am a single mother of five. I work full time, and my children get what they need… That leaves me very little for anything else,” she wrote.
Unexpected expenses have made an already difficult situation even harder. Recently, she was forced to dip into what little savings she had just to keep her car running — a necessity for getting to work and caring for her family.
“I just recently had to fix my car, and had to use a little money I had saved… it went into the car,” she wrote.
The children’s father, she said, left the state to help his own mother and never returned. Since then, she has been left to manage everything on her own.
“Their father went to go live in Florida to help his mother… whose father died with COVID… and never came back. Because I wasn’t willing to move to Florida, he refuses to help with anything,” she wrote.
With her children still too young to work, the responsibility for providing falls entirely on her shoulders.
“My children are too young to work,” she wrote.
The sacrifices she makes are quiet but profound.
“I don’t eat sometimes to make sure everyone else eats,” she wrote.
Her request is not extravagant — just a plea for a little help during a season that already stretches families thin.
“We would appreciate anything you would be able to contribute,” she wrote.
Her letter is a reminder that behind every request is a parent choosing their children again and again, even at personal cost — and that small acts of generosity can ease a burden that feels overwhelming.
A contribution to Item Santa can help ensure this family — and many others like them — have something to anticipate this holiday season. Every donation counts when it comes to making a meaningful impact at a time where so many families are struggling to make ends meet.
Now in its 59th year, the Item Santa Fund helps bring Christmas joy to local residents in need. The Item collects donations while The Salvation Army purchases and distributes toys and essentials to approved families in the area.
To give, please clip the coupon in The Daily Item and send it with your check to:
The Item Salvation Army Santa
85 Exchange St.
Lynn, MA 01901
Online contributions can also be made at salvationarmyma.org/itemsanta, where donors may choose to have their names acknowledged. All donations will be printed in The Item throughout December and into early 2026, with space for a brief message from donors who wish to include one.
For questions regarding eligibility, gift distribution, or scheduling, contact the Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.
