Seneca Santa will help 400 needy children

SCHUYLER COUNTY—Schuyler County’s annual Seneca Santa program will be delivering gifts to needy children and families this coming Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24. With the help of area fire departments, children will receive items like hats, gloves and toys to brighten their holiday season.
“I don’t have final numbers yet, but I’m anticipating it will be around 400 children and about 200 families,” organizer Peggy Scott said.
Scott said there are approximately 50 to 75 volunteers working for the Seneca Santa program this year. Scott said the group has not had the main gifts delivered yet this year, but once they arrive they will be sorted, wrapped and organized. She said the big push to collect donated items has not happened yet either, but will be picking up work when the main gifts arrive.
“We always welcome new age appropriate toys,” Scott said. “The age range is from 2 to 12. Things like coloring books, crayons, hats and mittens, board games, puzzles, anything appropriate for a family is great. They can be dropped off at the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office.”
Scott said there have been no major changes to the program this year, which is indicative of Seneca Santas’ success.
“That’s the reason why it is so successful, because everybody does their own part,” Scott said. “It took a long time to get to the point that it’s at now. It’s so gratifying how it does all come together. It wasn’t always like that.”
Scott said Seneca Santa started in the early 1940s during World War II, where volunteers would take old toys, fix them up and give them to underprivileged children during the holidays. She said it was primarily run by mail carriers and the fire departments who saw a need for it. Scott said there has also been a recent resurgence in the number of homemade clothing items donated by community members.
“When I first started there were several women that made the hats and mittens, and then that kind of settled,” Scott said. “Now other people have picked up that slack. There was a down time for it where a couple of years we didn’t get many of the volunteer donated things where we had to buy more. Now it is back to a lot of people knitting the stuff on their own.”
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards will be hosting their 17th annual Seneca Santa Fundraiser Saturday, Dec. 14 at the vineyard. The fundraiser begins at noon and runs until 5 p.m. The event is open to the public and requires a $10 donation at the door for admission. Hazlitt has raised more than $200,000 for the Seneca Santa program in its prior 16 years of fundraising.
Those interested in volunteering in this year’s program can contact Scott at 607-546-8268. Donations to Seneca Santa can be mailed to PO Box 22, Watkins Glen NY, 14891.