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OVER 500 CHILDREN GET TOYS, FOOD, AND CLOTHING FROM PROJECT SANTA PROGRAM

OVER 500 CHILDREN GET TOYS, FOOD, AND CLOTHING
FROM PROJECT SANTA PROGRAM

(Macomb, Illinois, January 7, 2022) – Since 1983, Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency
(WIRC-CAA) has offered the Project Santa program to help local people in need during the holiday season. The mission of this social service program is to provide a happy holiday full of gifts, food, and clothing to children of income-eligible families in need living in the western Illinois counties of Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, and Warren. Thanks to the generosity of community members, volunteers, organizations, and fundraisers, the 2021 WIRC-CAA Project Santa program was able to help 535 children. Of those children, 489 were officially enrolled in the program and 46 were assisted by Project Santa in a limited capacity.  

“The children enrolled in this program often need things that many people take for granted, like their own blanket or comforter, shoes that fit, winter coats, or food during the holiday break from school,” said Project Santa Coordinator Jamie Roth. “Project Santa gives toys to each child that is enrolled so they can enjoy being a kid, but we also give them items like food, coats, and shoes so they have a sense of security and comfort.”

The enrollment period for this program typically starts in mid-September. Application information is sent to local public schools, posted online, and shared with local media outlets. This year, Project Santa saw an increased number of applications, most likely due to many families being financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

An average of $100 is spent on each child officially enrolled in Project Santa, and each family receives a holiday meal to prepare at home. The meal typically includes items like a canned ham, canned vegetables and fruit, potatoes, dinner rolls, and holiday treats like hot chocolate and candy canes. Families who otherwise would have qualified but applied past the enrollment deadline, which is typically in mid-October, are put on the Project Santa Waiting List. WIRC-CAA gives Waiting List families assorted age-appropriate toys that have been donated to the program by the public. 

WIRC-CAA Project Santa employees and volunteers, referred to as elves, spend several days shopping for items requested on each child’s wish list. Parents list each child’s age, clothing, shoe and coat sizes, and suggestions for 

toys or gifts. Roth says it is not uncommon for basic necessities like blankets, pillows, and coats to be listed. “In those cases, we do everything we can to get those items for them, because they may otherwise go the winter season without them.”   

Families must meet the following eligibility guidelines in order to qualify for Project Santa: they live in Hancock, Henderson, McDonough or Warren County; they are not enrolled in a similar holiday program offered by another social service agency; they have not been enrolled in Project Santa in the past two years; and their household’s total income is within the program’s income guidelines. For 2021, each family’s income could not exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. For example, a two-person household’s gross income could not exceed $2,903 per month. 

Funding is partially provided by the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The remainder of Project Santa funding comes from donations. 

“Project Santa relies heavily on monetary donations from the public, and that affects the number of children we are able to assist each year,” said Roth. “Thankfully, we received generous monetary gifts and donations of toys to the program in 2021. Without our amazing donors and supporters, we would not be able to help so many children. On behalf of WIRC-CAA, I want to say thank you to everyone who helped us accomplish our mission.” 

The application period for the 2021 Project Santa program has closed, and the 2022 program will begin accepting applications in late-September. 

WIRC-CAA, based in Macomb, Illinois, offers a variety of social service programs to help anyone in need, including a food pantry, clothing center, energy assistance program, scholarships, and more. For more information about their free and confidential programs, call WIRC-CAA at 309-837-2997, find them on social media, or visit https://wirpc.org/.

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