Christmas Gifts Are Heading To 2,900 NH Kids In Need: Video

CONCORD, NH — For nearly 3,000 needy New Hampshire children, Christmas and the holidays are going to be a little special this year due to the help of others.

The delivery of more than 2,900 gifts as part of the Operation Santa Claus SEA/SEIU Local 1984 holiday initiative, which collects gifts for children in need in the state, is underway by the New Hampshire National Guard. On Monday, the effort, along with a lot of elves lending a hand, loaded up trucks in Concord to be delivered to seven New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services offices.

From there, social workers will distribute the gifts.

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This is the 61st year Operation Santa Claus had been delivering gifts, according to Rich Gulla, the president of the state employee’s union. The volunteer work is done by state employees, retirees, and others who support the program.

“Our child protective service worker members, throughout the year, identify children in need,” he said. “And other members do fundraisers, do shopping, and donate time here, to provide Christmas for those children.”

Sponsorships for 2021 were $80 per child, which means nearly a quarter of a million dollars was spent or donated as part of the effort.

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), who noted she attended a number of past Operation Santa Claus delivery days when she was governor, spent a bit of time loading up trucks, too.

“I’m really grateful for what you do,” Hassan said. “It’s really a way we just demonstrate that in New Hampshire, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get work done for the people and communities who need it most. And every kid deserves a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.”

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) agreed with Hassan and congratulated all involved for the impressive effort to help others.

“This is really about kids,” he said. “It’s about families and making sure that they can enjoy a safe holiday season and a happy one … this creates memories of a lifetime, really, for kids.”

Phil Burt, this year’s chairman, added it was one of the best things he had ever been a part of.

“It’s a fantastic thing that you are doing,” he said.

Lori Weaver, the deputy commissioner of the state’s health department, and Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, the adjutant general of the New Hampshire National Guard, were also helping out on Monday.

Along with guardsmen and other volunteers, four halfway house inmates were also assisting as they did last year. Sgt. Dana Johnson of the corrections department said his team had been working hard on a number of projects including painting jobs for municipalities, churches, and homeless centers, too, preparing them for the transition from prison to work.

“We just bounce around,” he said. “We have a lot that we do; we have a lot of jobs. It’s all nonprofit; it’s all labor-free. And it’s good for the community, too ... the people that we deal with are learning a lot about how to deal with these guys ... not judging so quickly ... and just who they are.”

This year, the org did not have a central launch space to collect the gifts, due to the sale of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation building on Stickney Avenue. That was when Tom Balon, a Concord and Portsmouth developer who owns property in the city, donated space on Regional Drive and, with the help of other Concord Kiwanis members, like Andrew Georgevits, was able to clean the space up and steer thousands of dollars in donations, too, at the last minute.

Hassan noted, to laughs from those in attendance, that the space donated by Balon was a lot warmer than the old NH DOT building. She also thanked Balon personally for helping out.

For more information about the program or to help in 2022, visit the Operation Santa Claus website, linked here.

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