The Project Santa program at WIRC-Community Action Agency (WIRC) needs donations, volunteers and sponsors to give over 500 children a happy holiday this year. Project Santa is a nonprofit community program that has been in operation at WIRC since 1983. Each year, the program helps children from eligible households with low incomes by giving them gifts, shoes, and winter clothing that their parents cannot afford to purchase for them.
“On the application, I invite families to share why they are asking for help. Their stories are heartbreaking,” said Jamie Roth, Community Services & Public Relations Director. “Battling cancer and feeling too sick to work, loss of a spouse, escaping an abusive partner, and working multiple jobs while struggling financially are just a few of the difficulties these hard-working parents and their children are experiencing.”
Gifts are provided to the families unwrapped, so parents are able to enjoy giving gifts to their children according to their household’s traditions and culture. Roth continued that the program aims to spend around $125 on each child enrolled in the program, and every donation is appreciated.
You, a Holiday Helper, can make a difference for these children in any of the following ways: Volunteer their time to shop for or sort gifts with the Project Santa Team in Macomb; Give a monetary donation of any amount; Host a toy or coat drive (new items only); or Sponsor a child to get their wish list and purchase those gifts.
Monetary donations can be mailed to: WIRC, Attn: Project Santa, 133 West Jackson Street, Macomb, IL 61455. Donations received by December 2 will have the greatest impact for this year’s program.
To volunteer your time, be a sponsor, or to host a toy/coat drive, please contact WIRC by November 14 by calling 309-837-2997, emailing projectsanta@wirpc.org, or fill out the online contact form at https://wirpc.org/projectsanta/.
WIRC-Community Action Agency is a nonprofit based in Macomb, Illinois, that helps people and communities in multiple western Illinois counties. To learn more, call 309-837-2997, find them on social media, or visit their website at https://wirpc.org/. Equal opportunity provider and employer.
***Courtesy of the WIRC-Community Action Agency***
