The Elves' Guide to Helping Santa
Heritage
This time honored Fairbanks tradition began as a program at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner as Santa’s Clearinghouse. Santa’s Helpers aspires to be bigger and better than ever this holiday season thanks to a new batch of elves pitching in to help Santa.
Here’s how you can become one of the new generation of Santa’s Elves. Schedules, Venues, Roles to play in one easy to understand page.
Target Audience
The goal of Santa's Helpers is to provide tangible Christmas cheer in the form of food and wrapped presents to underprivileged, but deserving members of the North Star Borough community.
Families in need who are selected for the program receive two weeks worth of food and toys for children in the family just before Christmas Day. Families in need can apply using this form or calling 457-1934 or 750-0608. If you know of a family in need, you can nominate them using the same form or calling 457-1934 or 750-0608.
Closing date for applications or nominations is December 15.
Ways to contribute:
There are two fundamental ways you can become a Santa's Elf this season, donate - either funds, food, or toys - and/or volunteer your time to support the Santa's Helpers effort. They are not mutually exclusive, you can do both. Either or both would be much appreciated.
Donate
Funds
The simplest, fastest and most direct way you can help our effort is to donate funding to subsidize it. Donations are tax deductible and can be done at our Donation Page.
Food
Toys
Toys suitable for age 18 and under can be dropped off, unwrapped, at any of our donation locations shown on the map below:
Santa's Helpers Gift Donation drop-off locations.
Volunteer
The simplest and most straightforward is to donate funding to the Santa’s Helpers fund at NSCF. Funds collected are use to purchase food and toys and to finance the distribution process. It takes . Donations are tax deductible and can be made with a quick trip to our FSH Donation page.
Another way to help is to nominate needy families to be recipients of this year's program. Beginning Nov. 29, Santa’s Helpers will begin accepting referrals. Either fill out an online application at santashelpersalaska. org or call 907-457-1934 or 907-750-0608 The last day to apply or refer families to Santa’s Helpers is Dec. 15.
If you wish to donate the actual toys or food directly to Santa’s helpers, it is a matter of finding one of the many collection points established from the west end of Fairbanks all the way to North Pole, stop in and add your donation to our collected resources. [Note here what is accepted]
To simplify that process we have created a drop-off location point map, which leverages the power of Google Maps to give you a tool to find the nearest location, learn the hours it is open and generate a driving instructions map to get you there efficiently. You can drag or scroll the map, zoom it in and out to find a location, which is marked by our green helper elf icon. Click on the icon to bring up details in a small dialog box and once there, click on the ‘Get Directions’ button to go to Google maps for a customized driving directions map from your current location to the drop off point.
Santa's Helpers Gift Donation drop-off locations.
One of the key needs of the program is for the donated toys to be gift wrapped in preparation for distribution. Two events are set up to serve this need. Santa’s Helpers volunteers will gift wrap for donations at the Bentley Mall on December 4 and 5 and December 11 and 12. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for this event by sending email to santashelpersak@gmail.com or calling 907-750-0608.
Santa's Helpers Gift Wrapping Parties.
On December 16, volunteers begin putting together family toy bags for special delivery. Food ordered from Fred Meyer East will be delivered to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank on December 17. On December 19, food and gift boxes will be delivered to local families in need.
If your family is selected and no one is at home for when the delivery is attempted can pick up their Christmas bundle on December 20 at the Fairbanks Community Food Bank.
Santa's Helpers Distribution Center.
The program depends upon not only donations, but volunteers to wrap and deliver food and toy packages to selected families. Do your part to help make needy families and children have Santa fill their wish list this year.
Portions of this page excerpted from the Fairbanks News-Miner article by Kris Capps.
