Submitted

Project Santa of Denton completed its 66th year for delivering toys, food and clothing to families and children in need in Davidson and eastern Rowan counties.

Project Santa began 66 years ago with a $25 bonus check starts in October as volunteers go and visit each family to assess their need for Christmas. Volunteers continue visiting families in need throughout December, even as late as Christmas Eve.  

This year Project Santa provided Christmas gifts to 456 underprivileged children covering 191 families in Davidson and eastern Rowan counties. The project delivered Christmas gifts to 174 children in Eastern Rowan County covering 76 families. Project Santa, being a Christian-based organization offers Bibles to those families that may need one. This year, Project Santa provided over 201 Bibles to children and adults. 

Food was also provided to 67 families in eastern Rowan County from the project. Project Santa received a grant in 2023 from the Food Lion Feeds Grant Foundation in the amount of $2,000 back in June of 2023 which was used to help purchase food from the local food chain Food Lion. On Dec. 14, 10 Food Lion store managers, along with many local volunteers from Denton, assembled 168 food boxes that were handed out on Dec. 15 and 16.

Clothing was also available for those children and families in need thru the Project Santa clothing closet and food pantry which is open all year round for those in need, provided 71 new coats to children and adults and provided new jeans and many other articles of clothing. In all, 508 individuals received clothing from the Project Santa Clothing closet during the Christmas season.

Project Santa for the past 16 years has worked out of the St. Matthews Lutheran Church Boy Scout hut to cover the Eastern Rowan County area from Dec. 22 thru Christmas Eve.

Project Santa would like to thank all the individuals, churches and businesses who donated their time, talents, and financial resources to make Project Santa a success in 2023. Your kindness and generosity helped make Christmas very bright for many underprivileged children and their families on Christmas morning.