Today is the last day the nonprofit charity organization Wildcat Santa will be collecting donations for the toy drive that has been taking place on campus since Nov. 3. Run entirely by UNH faculty and staff, Wildcat Santa collects toys as well as money through raffle tickets to be distributed to local families during the holiday season.
"I think it's important for anybody to get involved because there are a lot of people out there who are less fortunate than we are," Donna Adjutant, a Wildcat Santa volunteer. "Faculty and staff all have jobs here and students have the wonderful opportunity of attending college. We're lucky. It gives you a nice sense to be able to help people at this time of year."
Wildcat Santa is in its eleventh year of service. The service collects not only gifts, but food and gift certificates for families in need. According to their website, the drive focused on collecting toys, books, games and movies for children under 16 years of age. Drop off locations have been set up in most halls across campus where students can show their support and generosity.
Today, the toys will be collected and brought to the Registrar's Office in Stoke Hall. From there they will be sorted for families according to the ages of their children. Families remain anonymous throughout the process, Adjutant explained.
"The holidays are a time for giving and caring," said Erin Keleher, a junior majoring in communications of science and disorders. "It's a time to enjoy family and the people around you. This brings our community together in a way that helps everyone share the joy of the season. I think it's important for all students to help out in whatever way they can."
The organization also holds a raffle, buying food and age-appropriate toys for older children whose needs weren't met with the toy drive, with the money raised. Tickets were sold at the President's Holiday Skate party for $1, or six tickets for $5. The raffle will continue till Tuesday, Dec. 16.
"All the families are very grateful to get any of the donations that come in. Last year we helped, I think it was 39 families," said Adjutant. "We sell raffle tickets so they get food and toys. We want them to have everything possible during the holidays."
Funds raised through Wildcat Santa also go to help local fire departments, food pantries and homeless shelters, Adjutant said.
In a UNH press release, Cathy Annese, Wildcat Santa chairperson, said the organization "is a long-standing charitable tradition at UNH, made possible by the hard work of students and staff volunteers and very generous donations from the local community."
With the efforts of campus organizations that have donated large sums of money, such as the Not Too Sharp a cappella group's plan to donate $200 to Wildcat Santa today, combined with others, the non-profit charity will be able to make a large impact in the lives of community members.
"We'd like to thank everyone that did participate in the job. We couldn't do this by ourselves," Adjutant said.
More information can be found at www.unh.edu/wildcatsanta.
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