ST. JOHNSBURY – This past weekend the vehicles at Twin State Ford were filled with donated teddy bears, dolls and more. All of the donations are going to end up in "Santa’s Sleigh."
Twin State Ford and the St. Johnsbury Fire Department teamed up this year to organize the Santa Fund event. Almost 1,200 children benefit from the donations, making a happy holiday possible for those who thought it was impossible.
“What appealed to us the most, is the fact that it benefits all of our communities,” explains Twin State Sales Manager Brian Foley. “All of the donations that are coming in are going to support families in this area.”
Over 600 families were supplied with gifts last year, and this past Saturday the donations started piling up to reach that goal once again.
Assistant Fire Chief Will Rivers, has been helping coordinate the Santa Fund for 34 years through the St. Johnsbury Fire Department. He believes the cause is well worth it.
“We all remember when we were kids, and how much we look forward to Christmas, and how much we wanted a toy,” says Rivers. “Some families aren’t able to provide that for their children, so we just help them out a little bit. We're not taking the place of the parents or providing them with the Christmas, we're just helping them out.”
Rivers urges the public to donate if they can. Donations can be toys or money. Firefighters at the St. Johnsbury Department spend a few hours each shift putting together the boxes, and once they receive the names of those in need, they will be packaged and ready to go.
The earlier the donations are given, the more time the fire department will have to package them. Donations can be received at the St. Johnsbury Fire Department or Twin State Ford until December 4th.
"Our goal is to fill this truck and then some. I want to drive up to the fire department with the truck, toys hanging out of the window. I want to bring as much money as we can and as many toys as we can collect, and the more the better."
Santa Fund from NewsLINC on Vimeo.