7/21 - Help Blue Santa Fill Their Sleigh!
The Galveston Police Department is planning for Christmas (in July)! They’re checking the list & in search of support for purchasing new toys this year. Check out what they have at their table!
Date:
July 21, 2024
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
3304 Market St, 77550
About Blue Santa
The men and women of the Galveston Police Department, together with an all-volunteer board, started the Blue Santa of Galveston program in 1994. Since that time, requests for assistance have increased from 15 families that first year to 3000+ children last year. None of this would be possible without the partnership between officers and the community; an opportunity to come together for our youngest citizens. A large portion of those living in Galveston County rely on the tourist industry to feed their families and take care of their needs like paying rent, childcare and basic health care. As a result of the recent events including COVID, increasing rents and property taxes, as well as the current economic conditions, many industries and businesses were shut down for months, some will never recover. As you can imagine, more families than ever need help from Blue Santa and similar organizations not only for the holidays but their most basic needs.
For those unfamiliar with Blue Santa, it is an organization of Law Enforcement and community members who fundraise to purchase and collect gifts from the community and distribute those gifts to families in need. The generosity extended to Blue Santa is a tribute to the generous residents, businesses, and organizations whose financial response provided a major portion of the funds used to purchase gifts for the growing number of applicants. Families with a need submit a list of their children’s names, their ages, gender, and specific needs/wants regarding gifts from Santa along with verification of residency. All donations are warehoused at the Lighthouse Charity Galveston Operations Center and with the help of volunteers, gifts are selected for each child, wrapped, packaged by families, and delivered to the families a few days before Christmas. Every effort is made to provide at least one gift from the child’s wish list, along with 2 or 3 others including an activity (ball of some sort, something for outdoor activity) as well as a comfort type toy and an additional gift or game that can be played collectively with the entire family. The organization is 100% volunteer “workers” and donor funded.