The Dear Santa Project at Bowling Green City Schools will be marking its 16th year this year.
The Bowling Green School Board heard about the charitable effort during its October meeting.
The discussion of the project was presented by Kisha Nichols and Jennifer Ostrowski, two district teachers, who coordinate the non-profit program.
Dear Santa, they said, originated in Philadelphia and provides Christmas assistance to district families, and takes hundreds of volunteers and donors to be successful – including work to sort donated items, wrap them and deliver them, among other efforts. They further said that there are a number of community partnerships which help make the program a success and continue to grow.
In 2022, the program helped 56 families, including 151 children; delivered 63 hams; and provided 34 bikes, 105 pairs of boots or shoes, and 43 coats.
Donations can be made to the program via Venmo or PayPal or by sending a check, Nichols and Ostrowski said. They also said that if people in the community know of district students in need of assistance from Dear Santa, they can write the Dear Santa Society at P.O. Box 513, Bowling Green, OH 43402, or email [email protected].
Further the group has upcoming fundraisers at local eateries, including Beckett’s Burger Bar on Nov. 1, SamB’s on Nov. 8, and Juniper on Nov. 13.
Later in the meeting, board member Ginny Stewart noted a series of needs from the district’s school buildings:
• Conneaut Elementary is in need of girls’ pants, sizes 4T and up, and packaged snacks.
• The high school needs water bottles because many of the students lose their own.
• Kenwood Elementary is in need of pairs of children’s boots and shoes, and socks of all sizes, as well as packaged snacks.
• Crim Elementary is in need of clothing that can be used typically in the case of bathroom accidents, including children’s underwear size 4, 6, and 8 for both boys and girls, and easy-slip-on long pants and sweats for girls and boys in sizes small, medium and large. Stewart noted that the clothing goes home with the children in these cases and doesn’t get returned. Also needed are gloves and headphones.
The Positive Behavior support program is also in need of donations – the program incentivizes good behaviors for children, who earn points which can be redeemed for prizes. Those wishing to donate were asked to call the central office to see what kind of items are appropriate.
Donations of jackets, sweaters, gloves, boots, hats and other items are also asked overall for as the cold weather approaches, Stewart said. The Bobcat Pantry is also in need of personal hygiene products for both boys and girls. Further, donations to the lunch fund can be made at the central office so that it can be designated for that fund specifically. Stewart further said that donated snacks should be individually wrapped, and be free of nuts of any kind.
