Forgotten Children’s Fund helps 16 families

Local volunteers help distribute gifts to 16 families, thanks to the Forgotten Children’s Fund. Christmas Eve found Santa and his elves of the local Forgotten Children’s Fund preparing to deliver Christmas to 16 families from Everett to Camano Island.

Every year the fund selects a number of deserving families to receive food, coats, bicycles and other presents for Christmas. These families are selected based on their economic circumstances, which are referred by themselves, relatives; schools, governmental agencies, or any interested party.

The Forgotten Children’s Fund was established in Seattle in 1976 by a Seattle restaurateur in response to a letter written by a small boy named Craig. Craig was asking Santa to not get lost again this year, assuring him that he and his little sisters had been good children, and that they really missed him last year. Santa need not bring anything for his father as he was no longer around.

The restaurant owner was so touched by the letter that he tried to find the child, but was unsuccessful. He vowed to try to make sure that this never again happened to the Craigs of the world and founded the Forgotten Children’s Fund.

The organization helps about a thousand families a year throughout Western Washington.

This year, due to the poor economy, the organization was slammed by about three times the number of requests that it had been prepared to help.

It was a sad decision to inform some families that they could not provide their Christmas.

The volunteers were nonetheless grateful to Stanwood area donors for their help, i.e. REMax Reality of Camano Island, Islander Restaurant, Island Massage and Pain Therapy, and several anonymous donors who provided Christmas to families in need in 2009.