Photo: Ermell via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Flyer courtesy: RHS

Rural Human Services representatives are urging parents to submit applications early if they want their youngsters to receive Christmas presents through Santa’s Workshop.

Families who receive support through the Supplemental Nutrition Program, MediCal or other social service programs should bring their passport to services to the RHS, WIC or Social Service offices by Nov. 21.

Celia Perez, an RHS board member and Santa’s Workshop organizer, said she hopes to get those wishes in by Black Friday when folks are out shopping. This will give volunteers time to collect the applications, sort through the wishes, put them on mittens and get them out on trees placed at Walmart and other locations throughout the community.

“We have people that want to buy and if they wait until the last minute, it makes it difficult for people to shop,” Perez told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday. “They don’t have time to order things online. We did encounter that last year where there are some things children wanted and Walmart didn’t have it or Fred Meyer didn’t have it and the toy store couldn’t get it soon enough so we got what we could locally.”

Parents can drop applications off from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday at RHS, 286 M Street; Social Services, 880 Northcrest Drive; or the Crescent City WIC office, 440 L Street, all in Crescent City.

Perez said her goal this year is to increase the number of children and families Santa’s Workshop reaches this year. Last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic about 405 families with 725 children received gifts through the annual toy program.

She said she hopes to get 300-400 families to submit applications this year.

“I have a lot of gifts left over from last year,” she said. “And I already have some people who have collected throughout the summer.”

On the applications, parents will be asked to provide their children’s ages, gender preference and give a description as to what they’re interested in. Perez said it would be helpful for parents to be specific because sometimes those purchasing for youngsters go above and beyond.

“We had a child last year who was into fishing,” she said. “The person who bought for the child got fishing tackle and all the stuff for someone starting to fish. One particular person was also very specific — they wanted an Ocean World sweatshirt.”

Toys will be available for families to pick up on Dec. 17 and 18, which is a Saturday and Sunday, Perez said.

For those who want to donate, there are a couple of options in addition to picking up a mitten from one of the local trees.

Roxanne Garman, of the Del Norte Party Girls, will hold a Quarter Craze Auction at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 to benefit Santa’s Workshop. Tickets are $5 if registered in advance or $8 at the door and people are urged to bring a stocking stuffer or wrapping paper for “a chance at the magic paddle.”
For more information, click here.

Potter’s Real Estate Group will host a community toy drive at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at Enoteca Restaurant in Crescent City. People are asked to bring one unwrapped toy per person. For more information, click here.

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