T&G Santa Fund: Guild of St. Agnes on Santa's list
WORCESTER ― The spectacle of twinkling lights, jingling bells and holiday cheer will soon be all around us, while quietly, in the background, T&G Santa’s elves will be tinkering away to deliver a little Christmas joy to thousands of local children in need.
“T&G Santa is an opportunity to help provide for children in the Guild of St. Agnes, who come from households of abuse or foster homes,” Katie Ferreira said. “I can’t stress how important it is for those kids to feel loved and cared for during the holidays.”
Ferreira is the director of communications and development for the Guild of St. Agnes of Worcester, at 19 Harvard St.
The guild has seven centers in Worcester County that provide early childhood education, care and programs for school-age children.
Of the 1,800 children under guild care, 40% are involved with the state Department of Children and Families; 49% are using state-subsidized, low income-based vouchers; and 11% pay privately.
This is the second year the T&G Santa sleigh will stop at the guild.
“I think that it’s especially important with our demographic of children that we can provide these gifts when they may have an empty tree and empty holiday,” Ferreira said. “We have struggling parents. Especially in this economy with inflation, being able to provide these parents with gifts helps to give an experience every child should have.”
Last year, the guild and T&G Santa gave that experience to 220 children.
The 7- and 10-year-old sons of Abbie, a 30-year-old single parent, were among them.
“As a single parent it’s really hard around the holidays, especially with the cost of gas and groceries," Abbie said. "It’s a struggle to provide the basic necessities and pay the bills and give your child that magical experience. You want to give them the world and this program really helps to relieve the stress on parents.”
Abbie recently earned a promotion at work that will likely enable the purchase of gifts for her sons this year.
“I may not need the help this year, but the program is really beneficial, and so many parents will be grateful to receive these gifts,” she said.
It is for these families that the 84-year tradition of T&G Santa continues.
The newspaper partners with the United Way of Central Massachusetts to map Santa’s route and include stops at local nonprofit agencies, such as the guild, where gifts are placed in the hands of the families served.
It begins with the charitable giving of many local businesses, foundations, organizations and private donors, who often give in the name of a deceased loved one.
Last year, more than 1,000 of those Santa’s helpers gave nearly $110,000 for the purchase of 10,627 toys and 1,691 books to brighten Christmas morning for 5,267 children in need.
This year, the guild has requested gifts for 212 children.
“We receive donations for each center/program, so we chose to accommodate the centers that are not already receiving donations from another source,” Ferreira said.
The Guild of St. Agnes is a private, nonprofit childcare agency founded in 1913 to provide families with quality, affordable early childhood education and school-age programs.
Today, as one of the largest early education and care agencies in Central Massachusetts, the guild serves children ages 4 weeks to 12 years at its seven care sites and more than 120 licensed family homes. The services are licensed by the state Department of Early Education and Care, and the centers are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The Guild of St. Agnes is among the 21 agencies spreading the Christmas morning joy this year.
The others are Canterbury Elementary School; Catholic Charities of Worcester and Southbridge; Centro Inc.; the state Department of Mental Health; Devereux Therapeutic Foster Care; Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health; Friendly House; Gardner CAC; Jeremiah’s Inn; Pernet Family Health Service; Rainbow Child Development Center; Salvation Army of Fitchburg, Greater Milford, and Worcester; Spanish American Center; Webster Square Day Care Center; Worcester Housing Authority; Winchendon CAC, and Yes We Care.
To donate to T&G Santa online please go to telegram.com/santa.
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This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: T&G Santa Fund: Guild of St. Agnes on Santa's list
