Join Santa's Helpers Inc in Making a Difference
We are getting ready to kick off the 2023 after months of planning. These are events you will not want to miss! We are looking forward to another great year of helping under privileged children and families throughout our communities. Last year was something special that we never anticipated or dreamt and we are still jumping for joy. Help us make this year even better and bring even more smile to those in need this year!!
What our donors, sponsors, and community are saying.
Our team was left speechless multiple times at our first event of 2022. We were surprised with donation of three pallets of toys, from the Walmart crew! We are sill overwhelmed by the joy this brought us.The donated toys will help so many underprivileged youth in our communities.
The second heartwarming moment was when one of our volunteers was move to tears following a Facetime between Santa and their younger sibling. This was so heart warming and brought a few tears. This is why we do what we do!
Some of our visitors, both young and old, were excited to see Santa and have their picture taken with him.
Another favorite part of our day was talking to veterans and hearing their stories. We also built some amazing new friendships with our amazing volunteers and hope to partner with them for many years to come for future fundraising efforts
ABC 7 News covering Santa's Helpers
Local Hero: Santa's Helpers Inc
Santa's Helpers Inc is honored to have been nominated and recognized as a Local Hero on Patch.com We are so amazed that we were featured as a Local Hero. Take some time to read this write-up. As always our supporters and our community have left us speechless. Without all of you we would not be where we are today and thousands of children would have been forgotten for the holidays!
ABC 7 News Article
A Fredericksburg couple spends the holidays going above and beyond to make sure children have a happy Christmas. 365 days and thousands of toys later, Michelle and Mike Donnelly pour their heart and soul into everything they can stuff into a 20-foot U-Haul.
The two have always had a passion for Toys for Tots.
"We don't have kids so this is even better for us," Michelle said. "It wasn't until 2016 we received a blessing and we were able to give back."
Now, more than six years later, the two are starting a nonprofit called Santa's Helpers.
"Usually box stores will overstock for Christmas, and then once Christmas is over, they start to discount their stuff and in January we go out," Michelle said. "A lot of our friends and family, if they are out and about and they see a deal, they call us and we have a good system."
It's a labor of love for the Fredericksburg couple who collects toys year-round to donate to Toys for Tots.
"If you would have asked me ten years ago if I ever imagined being able to give back to the community like this, no way," Michelle said.
They also do it with the help of their neighbors. Joel Bassam with Easterns Automotive wanted to give back to the Donnelly's for their tireless work.
"We were blown away by the way that you are helping spread holiday cheer with Santa's Helpers. We want to donate $2,000 so that you can keep collecting those toys for the community," Bassam said.
Michelle and Mike were overjoyed at the generous donation they received from Easterns.
"I can't even tell you what we can do with $2,000," Michelle said. "It's amazing. This can fill up one half of the room because we are very smart about our shopping. I'm floored."
Easterns Automotive Group is a family-owned, used car dealership with several locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Talk to them about finding your next vehicle, and visit them online at easterns.com.
Won't you help a child in need?
Hello Friends! We know that you have busy schedules and often come across many fundraising opportunities. However, we want to assure you that we would not reach out if we did not believe in the importance of this cause. It is very close to our hearts, and we hope you will support our efforts by donating to the Santa's Helpers Inc. Team. Thank you for your consideration!