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Parents have until Tuesday to sign their youngsters up for Santa’s Workshop this year.

But while the community will be asked to pitch in, purchasing toys and clothing for Del Norte County children, there will be a few changes, said Celia Perez, a board member for Rural Human Services, the program’s long-time organizer.

Primary among those changes will be a lack of Christmas trees decked in red and green mittens at Walmart as well as local banks, letting shoppers pick out items for a specific child, Perez said. A long-time staple of Santa's Workshop, due to COVID-19, as well as the difficulty of tracking the mittens, things will be a bit different this year, Perez said.

“We’re doing shop-by-volunteer,” she said. “We’re doing the shopping based on trying to match up as many gifts on the children’s gift list within reason.”

The nonprofit organization, which also operates the local food bank, domestic violence shelter and farmers market, among several other programs, decided to move ahead with Santa’s Workshop in early November, Perez said.

This decision followed the death of Trish Hughes, also known as Ms. Claus, who had worked for the program for roughly seven years and led it for about three years.

“Everybody has been super,” Perez said. “People have been calling to give donations. Churches and nonprofit organizations are wanting to know what our status is and how they can help. It’s been amazing. People believe in the program and want to be able to help to make sure children have Christmas presents.”

Parents will have until Tuesday to sign their youngsters up for Santa’s Workshop. They can enroll for the program at RHS offices at 286 M Street in Crescent City. They will need to have a passport to services, one full month of paystubs or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) letter.

In previous years kids ages 0-14 could sign up to receive gifts, however Perez said RHS will not exclude anybody.

“As long as they believe, they’ll receive” she said.

Parents are asked to help their children keep their wish to $40 or less, Perez said. Parents asking for clothes for their youngsters can also help by jotting down their sizes and include a suggested theme for the items. Mermaids and unicorns are popular, though some kids are into fishing, Perez said.

Every year about 300 families sign up for the program, Perez said.

“That’s over 1,200 gifts so that’s a lot to try and shop for,” Perez said. “People have asked for a lot of books. That’s been pretty cool. And active things like skateboards and roller blade. My plan is to get on the radio and be specific as to what kind of items we need.”
Other popular gifts have been science kits and musical toys, she said.

Perez said she will also connect with other organizations in the community such as Toys for Tots.

When the deadline for applicants to sign up for the program has passed, volunteers will be collecting gifts, buying gifts, sorting gifts and wrapping gifts, Perez said. Santa’s Workshop headquarters at the old Daly’s building at 964 3rd Street will then be open from Dec. 18-20 for families to collect their gifts, Perez said.

When asked if volunteers are needed, Perez said she wants to keep the group wrapping and sorting gifts as small as possible. A core group of six volunteers has worked with the program for years.

Perez said she’s confident that group will continue to help out.

For more information about Santa's Workshop, call Perez after 5 p.m. at (707) 218-4089

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