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2019 Santa Fund kicks off

NASHUA – With Christmas being only 87 days away, The Telegraph and the United Way of Greater Nashua are gearing up for the holiday season with the kickoff to the 2019 Santa Fund campaign today.

For more than 50 years, the Santa Fund has been able to give local low-income families a chance to relax during the holiday season by providing assistance with Christmas presents, so that no family has to choose between paying their living expenses or buying their children gifts.

The three local nonprofits that will benefit from this year’s fund are The Front Door Agency and The Salvation Army in Nashua and SHARE Outreach, located in Milford.

The United Way will again serve as the fiscal agent for the Santa Fund. This year’s goal is set at $45,000.

Last year, the Santa Fund was able to surpass its goal of $40,000, with a total of just over $44,000 in donations received by the end of 2018.

Donations can be tracked at https://app.mobilecause.com/t/ck/27z9.

The nonprofits are now accepting gift donations and will be taking clients within the next few weeks.

The Salvation Army will be accepting clients beginning Oct. 8, going through Nov. 21. SHARE Outreach will be taking clients starting Oct. 9. The Front Door Agency will have sign-ups for its clients on their website as well as in person on Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon, Oct. 23 from 3-6 p.m. and Nov. 4 from 3-6 p.m.

Donations also can be dropped off at the United Way of Greater Nashua, located at 20 Broad St. in Nashua.

One hot commodity for this year is gift cards. Director of Social Services for The Salvation Army Rosemarie Dykeman said gift cards allow local teenagers to go to the movies or the mall with their friends without worrying if they can afford a ticket or buy a snack. It also gives them the power to purchase what they want.

Nonprofit officials said there is a high need for young men and teenagers’ clothing, as well as infant clothing and socks for people of all ages.

The agencies also are looking for gift cards from Chunky’s Movie Theatre, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble.

Other donations being sought include pajamas, books, mittens, winter coats, jeans, boots, graphic novels, legos for all ages and other toys.

The agencies are asking that the gifts be new and unwrapped.

Santa Fund monetary donations will be accepted online this again year. Those wishing to make a monetary donation can use their MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express card on a secure online portal. The Web address for that portal is https://tinyurl.com/santafund2019.

Donations also can be made by texting 2019santa to 41444.

Checks may be made out to the United Way of Greater Nashua, with Santa Fund written in the memo line.

Cash donations can be dropped off at the United Way of Greater Nashua’s office.

The deadline for donations of physical gifts is Dec. 20, and the deadline for donations in monetary form is Dec. 31. The agencies also will be accepting physical gift donations at their locations, and a complete list of drop-off locations will appear in next Sunday’s edition of The Telegraph.

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