Santa Cop gets more personal

The Santa Cop and Heroes program has expanded the ways in which people can help this holiday season.

The idea came from the public, said Donna Harding, Development Manager with Mat-Su Senior Services, of which Santa Cop is a part.

Whereas in previous years, the program put out a list of things it needed, a local company that called last year wanted something a bit more personal.

“Last year we had a company contact us and ask ‘Do we have anybody we can just do this for?’” Harding said.

Program volunteers quickly connected the company with the name of a senior and their Christmas wish, then thought about whether they should make this a regular thing.

“’Well, why shouldn’t we?’” was the answer, Harding recalled.

Thus was born the Be a Santa to a Senior program. People that want to shop for one particular senior can call 745-5454 or e-mail admin@santacop.net.

“A lot of organizations like to go out there at that time and do something very nice for somebody,” Harding said. “Not that it’s wrong to stick your money in a bucket someplace, we know that that’s going to go somewhere worthwhile, but sometimes knowing that face and what their wishes are and what their needs are and that you are actually doing something for them makes it special for both parties.”

The program will also take donations and stage its yearly wrapping party on Dec. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Santa Cop started out of the Palmer Police Department as the brainchild of the since-retired Donna Anthony.

Over the years it has grown to include the whole Valley. It has also morphed from a program helping seniors at Christmas to a conduit for charitable giving to the elderly, whether through housework, firewood, or utility bill help.

However, the biggest part of the program comes on Christmas morning when police officers (firefighters have in the past few years started coming along as well, hence the “and Heroes” addition to the program’s name) deliver presents and a hot meal to seniors who would otherwise face the holiday alone.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.