(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Santa, played by Merlin Taylor, pitches in as he joins a team of volunteers with the Granite Education Foundation's Santa Sacks program at a workshop in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. In its 10th year, the program works with social workers throughout 60 schools in the district to help low income families struggling through the holidays as Santa helped fill a social workers car bound for two schools in the district.
As children write their lists to Santa and listen to their friends talk at school about all the gifts under the Christmas tree, there are families with meager budgets struggling to meet basic needs.
“The holiday season is very overwhelming for the lowest income families in our district struggling week to week,” said Brent Severe, CEO of Granite Education Foundation.
For 10 years now, the Santa Sacks program has helped restore some of the magic of the holidays for children in 60 schools in the Granite District by assembling sacks filled with blankets, books, socks, hats, toothbrushes, toothpaste, school supplies and toys for children. In the program’s first year they filled 300 sacks and this year they expect to fill over 3,000. With the help of social workers who know the needs of the low income child they serve, the team of volunteers loaded their cars to deliver the holiday surprise.
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