City Santa

Dreams are different for everyone... Some people dream of a new car or a play station. Others dream of a warm coat, blankets and three meals a day.
Each year more than 400,000 Dear Santa letters arrive at New York City's main post office. These letters are from children whose request differ from the usual red wagons or bicycles. Their wants and needs are for the basics: food, clothing, shoes and blankets.
This is where City Santa steps in. Using the donations received City Santa fills those wishes and brings Christmas to as many families as possible.
City Santa delivers Christmas to New York's most needy!
Since 2001, City Santa has been turning dreams into reality for needy children who write Santa Claus to tell him their deepest Christmas wishes. By providing coats, shoes, clothing, blankets and food City Santa brings comfort to these disadvantaged families at an emotional time of year.
For more than 80 years, the main post office in New York City has been receiving letters written to Santa. Tens of thousands of these letters are simply heartbreaking in their requests for basic necessities. City Santa selects as many letters as possible and using the donations we receive we fill the stockings.
Each person gets the clothing requested along with a special stocking filled with goodies and essentials such as toothpaste, toothbrush hairbrushes and gloves. City Santa delivers these gifts and stockings and meets every family. Once we deliver everything, we send copies of the children's "Dear Santa" letters to the generous people who have donated to City Santa so they can see the direct effect their contributions have on these New York families.
City Santa volunteers are always so moved by the level of responsibility and sense of priority that these young children have. The parents that write Santa do so as their last hope to give their children something. Many have lost their jobs or simply don't earn enough money for anything but the basics. Their wish is for their children to have a happy Christmas. Parents sometimes apologize to Santa for asking him for help, or tell Santa they know he is not "real" but still they beg him not to forget their children.
Over the years, as the economy has suffered, City Santa has seen the number of letters increase and numbers of people on public assistance. We get more requests for school supplies and books along with food, blankets, sheets and towels.
City Santa is run by volunteers in New York City and their friends, who come from as far away as Maine and North Carolina to help read letters, purchase gifts and join in the wrap party. City Santa receives donations of money and new products from across the country. Each year since its inception, City Santa has been able to increase the number of families to which it delivers the joy of Christmas. City Santa is a 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible.