NASHUA – Local businesses participating in The Telegraph Santa Fund are taking their “Santa” role a little more seriously this year.

For the first time in the tradition, businesses were asked to deliver their toy donations to The Telegraph themselves each week, to ultimately be taken to the Salvation Army and Nashua Pastoral Care Center for distribution to families in need.

“In the past, we’ve had somebody a couple times a week drive to the business and pick up the toys and deliver them to the Salvation Army and the Care Center,” said Jeannie DiBella, executive manager of human resources at The Telegraph. “That takes a lot of time from whoever’s doing it. We reached out to the drop-off locations, saying we needed a further commitment. … They pretty much all said yes.”

The Santa Fund was started 50 years ago by the publisher of The Telegraph in order to give area children in need a happy holiday through donated clothes and toys.

Many of the businesses that participate in the drive now say taking Santa Fund donations has become part of their holiday tradition.

Goodale’s Bike Shop on Broad Street in Nashua has been helping the Santa Fund since The Telegraph asked them to participate years ago, Goodale’s Vice President Ron Bingham said.

“We didn’t look at the change as an inconvenience,” Bingham said. “We’re happy to help.”

June and July are probably Goodale’s busiest months, Bingham said, and bringing the donations to Hudson would be no added trouble.

“Before, a guy would come by in his car to pick up donations and we’d have more loads I think than he’d be able to fit in it,” Bingham said. “It will be easier to put them in a box truck and bring them over on a weekly basis, I think. So, we see it as a win-win.”

Meineke Car Care Center, which sets up donation drop-off locations at Nashua, Amherst, Hudson and Concord, was willing to spend the gas to benefit area children around the holidays, said Ellen Lima, office manager at the Hudson center.

“We want to continue doing it, more so now than ever, because the economy is so bad,” Lima said. “I don’t care where I’ve got to drive. We’ve got to do it.”

Lima said she keeps the books for Meineke locations in Nashua, Hudson and Concord, and the added stops in Hudson each week to drop off the donations at The Telegraph would fit into her usual routine.

“Workwise, here, it’s a busy time of year,” Lima said. “People are getting their vehicles ready for the winter, but that’s why we do this, in the hopes that we generate a lot of toys and donations.”

Lima said most of the donations come from people who are stopping anyway to have their car serviced.

Meineke offers discounted oil changes to people who donate a toy worth $15 or more, Lima said.

“We’ve been dong it for so many years now, customers wait for that coupon we put out every year for the donation,” Lima said. “We have customers that don’t even want the oil change. They’ll just come in and drop off gifts. It’s just something we’ve been doing the past few years. We’ve really enjoyed doing it.”

Triangle Credit Union’s vice president of marketing, Dick Lavoie, said the credit union has always been onboard with the Santa Fund, no matter what responsibilities they’ve been given.

“We don’t consider it an inconvenience, because we’re helping out the community,” Lavoie said. “We understand everyone has to tighten their belts. … We’re here to help.”

Triangle Credit Unions on Nashua’s Main Street and Franklin Street each participate in the Santa Fund drive, and they compete every year to see who can collect the most toys, Lavoie said.

“Franklin always seems to win,” Lavoie said with a laugh.

Despite the difficult economy, Lavoie said he anticipated credit union members would be just as generous with their donations as they have been in years past.

“People have always dropped off quality, usable items, new items,” Lavoie said. “Last year, the same family came by six times here on Main Street. They had several children that wanted to give back. That was what Christmas meant to them.”

In 2010, the Santa Fund raised $111,585 in donations, helping 1,059 families with 2,313 children, DiBella said. And without the business’s participation, the annual effort would be much more difficult.

“It’s the busiest time of the year for most of these businesses, so it’s a huge commitment to take staff to take the time during the day to bring things over to us,” DiBella said. “I didn’t expect all of our previous drop-off locations to be able to make the commitment, and I was just really overwhelmed with the response that they still wanted to be a part of it.”

Toy and clothing donations to The Telegraph Santa Fund will be accepted right up through Christmas, but people are encouraged to bring in items by Dec. 20 in order to get the donations out to families by Christmas time.

Checks also can be mailed to The Telegraph at 17 Executive Drive, Hudson, 03051, made out to The Telegraph Santa Fund. For an online donation form, visit www.nashuatelegraph.com/santafund.

Maryalice Gill can be reached at 594-6490 or mgill@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Gill on twitter (@Telegraph_MAG).