December 15, 2009
Santa Claus is making a special trip from the North Pole to San Antonio on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 to deliver toys to children in need at Loma Park Elementary and Chaminade Apartments. Santa will have a police escort – complete with lights and sirens – to distribute toys collected through a campus-wide community service project at St. Mary’s University called “Miracle on 36th Street.”
In partnership with the St. Mary’s University Service Learning Center, the St. Mary’s University Police Department annually collects hundreds of toys from students, faculty, staff and alumni of St. Mary’s. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Santa and his elves, the St. Mary’s University Police Department, will distribute toys to students at Loma Park Elementary and to children who live at Chaminade Apartments. Canned goods for the San Antonio Food Bank and gently used clothes for Goodwill Industries were also collected.
Other non-profit organizations that will receive donations as a result of the campus charity Christmas drive include Holy Rosary Church, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Guadalupe Home, Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., and San Antonio State Hospital.
Last year, more than 850 toys (valued at more than $6,300), more than 156 pounds of food and 90 pounds of clothing were collected and distributed to the designated charities.