EDIE ZUVANICH Special to the Press
HUTTO — Families who could use a little community support to make their Christmases merry have until Nov. 15 to apply for the Orange Santa program.
Orange Santa provides food and toys for families who live within the Hutto Independent School District boundaries, or who are families of a Hutto ISD employee.
“No kid should have to go without Christmas just because the economy is not working well for that family,” said Kristen Smith, a community volunteer with the Orange Santa program.
Recipients receive groceries needed to prepare a full Christmas dinner, including a whole turkey and three toys each for all children under age 18. Last year, Orange Santa provided over 400 families with meals and almost 1,000 children with toys.
The initiative is funded entirely through donations, Smith said.
“It allows us to take a break from buying toys just for ourselves, buying food just for ourselves, getting ready for Christmas just for ourselves.
It allows the community not only to come together for the cause of providing for our most at need residents, but it also allows them to be able to spread more Christmas cheer.
And, who doesn’t love doing that during the holidays?” she said.
Melissa Hollingsworth, a Hutto High School teacher and the Orange Santa coordinator, said the program was started about 15 years ago by the Hutto Police Department, but as it grew, it eventually needed a larger base of volunteers and it ended up becoming a project of the HHS Leos.
The Leos are a student community service organization affiliated with the Lions Club.
“Orange Santa is something that I think gives the students some ownership of a pretty awesome event,” Hollingsworth said. “It seems like every year one of the volunteers ends up crying because they see the faces of the kids as they get their toys and they realize what they’re actually helping with. It’s really cool to see them get as into community service as adults are, or should be.”
Reznor Salisbury, a senior at HHS, has been involved with the Leos since sixth grade. He originally joined to be with his friends, and says it has started him on a road of lifelong community service.
“I started to realize what I was able to do with it, like how I could help my future, but also help other students. I like the idea of helping. I feel like going forward it’s going to be something I always want to do,” he said.
Dinari Bowers says he started volunteering with the Orange Santa program after being a recipient for several years.
“I feel like I am helping give, the way I had been given to. The families are really thankful and so happy and that’s one of the best things.
I like helping people around me and I didn’t even know I had an opportunity to do that before,” Bowers said.
“We have a lot of students who volunteer for Orange Santa and we’re watching those students go from ‘I just want to get hours’ to ‘Oh my gosh, this is what serving is like,’ and we just see that click in their minds when they see the smiles on kids’ faces,” Smith said.
Donations of food, new toys or money can be dropped off at HHS.
Distribution will be on Dec. 9 from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. at Hutto HS, 101 FM 685. Due to construction, the event will be a drive-through delivery rather than the festival-style event of previous years.
Applications for anyone needing assistance must be filled out online at hipponation. org/page/1975 by Nov. 15.
