Every year since 1983, Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency’s (WIRC-CAA) Project Santa Program has provided a happy holiday full of gifts, food, and clothing to children of low-income families in need enrolled in this special program. This year, thanks to the generosity of donors, sponsors, and shopping volunteers, Project Santa was able to assist nearly 500 children living in Hancock, Henderson, McDonough and Warren counties.
WIRC-CAA Public Relations Manager Jamie Roth says the agency had a notable increase in applications for their 2020 program. “Many families in our service area have been financially impacted in some way by the pandemic, so we anticipated a higher need this year,” said Roth. “Last year, around 300 children were enrolled. This year, 393 children were enrolled in our official program, and, thanks to donations, we were able to assist an additional 74 children in our unofficial program.”
On average, $75 is spent on each child officially enrolled. Because the families enrolled in the program often worry about putting food on the table, each family is also given a holiday meal to prepare on Christmas Day. Families who would have qualified but submitted a late application are enrolled in Project Santa’s unofficial program, also known as the “Waiting List.” The amount of gifts, food, and clothing that Waiting List families receive is dependent on the amount of surplus donations.
Roth continued that while Project Santa does put a focus on toys, the program also aims to provide a sense of security to children over the holiday season. “Some children we helped were more excited about getting a new winter coat than their toys,” Roth said. “That is why the program also provides clothing and food; it is hard to be excited about your toys if you are worried about your next meal or not having proper shoes to walk in the snow. The difficult financial situations that these families are in motivate us to help as many families as we possibly can.”
Project Santa is funded primarily from donations, and relies on the generosity of volunteers and sponsors who support the program. The agency is grateful for the outstanding support from organizations and individuals this year, including a few local fundraisers and toy drives that were held to benefit Project Santa.
WIRC & CAA is a multi-faceted organization based in Macomb, Illinois that provides community development and social services throughout several counties in western Illinois. For more information about Project Santa, visit http://wirpc.org/projectsanta/ or call WIRC-CAA at (309) 837-2997.
Caption: During the pandemic, Project Santa “elves” practiced social distancing to shop safely for thousands of items on children’s wish lists [Jamie Roth/WIRC & CAA].
***Report Courtesy of the Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency***
