ARLINGTON — For more than two decades, the Arlington Fire Department has been delighting children and helping the food bank through its annual “Santa Run” food drive. Arlington firefighters and community volunteers will again be escorting Santa on a festively decorated fire truck through several of the town’s neighborhoods during the evenings.
They will be collecting non-perishable food and cash donations for the Arlington Community Food Bank from 6-8 p.m. through Friday, Dec. 12, and from 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14.
Fire Capt. Dave Kraski reported that volunteer crews of close to 15 per night collected approximately 450 pounds of food Dec. 5, 620 pounds Dec. 6 and 520 pounds Dec. 7, as well as an estimated $200 over the weekend.
“Those numbers are fairly consistent with last year, which was our biggest year yet,” said Kraski. He noted that the nightly hauls of 2013 were up to 40 percent larger than they’d been the year before, when the “Santa Run” set its previous records of more than 6,000 pounds of food and $500 in cash in 2012.
“Some of the neighborhoods we haven’t hit yet are often our biggest donors. So I think our biggest nights are yet to come,” he added Dec. 8.
Kraski explained that this event is the largest annual contributor to the Arlington food bank, typically collecting around 5,000 pounds per year.
While the Arlington Santa Run’s website at www.santarun.net has been live for a few years, offering PDF maps of the Santa Run routes for each evening, last year allowed Arlington residents to “like” the Santa Run’s Facebook page for the first time, at www.facebook.com/afdsantarun, where they can find further information.
“The existing website has been a great way to let the community know where Santa will be, but we’d love to see people posting their pictures of the Santa Run on our Facebook page this year,” Cascade Valley Hospital community relations coordinator Jennifer Egger said.
“Cash donations are greatly appreciated, since the food bank has resources for bulk and discount buying that can make a little money go very far,” she added.
“Your donation goes right to your friends and neighbors who may need a little extra help during the holidays. Our community has a tremendous heart for giving, and this is a simple and fun way to participate.”
Egger also relayed a message from Santa, who looks forward to seeing as many kids as he can.
“He’d like everyone to come out, say hello and get a candy cane from him when they hear the fire truck coming,” Egger said. “We’d love to fill the food bank with enough supplies not only for the holidays, but also for the coming year.”
