Hundreds of children in the Grand Forks area will receive new books, toys, candy and clothing this morning thanks to a team of Santa Claus Girls.
"There's probably 1,000 toys, 1,000 books, 1,000 sets of hats and gloves and 1,000 pairs of socks," said Anita Geffre, the Herald director of finance and organizer of Santa Claus Girls.
Throughout the week, volunteers sorted, packed and prepared to delivery gifts for 320 families and 750 children.
This year, Santa Claus Girls is celebrating its 100th year-the tradition began in 1916-of ensuring no child in Grand Forks is forgotten on Christmas morning.
The 100th year kicked off on Thanksgiving Day, and the charity set a goal of raising $18,000. "We're over halfway to our goal," Geffre said, adding she expects they'll meet it.
1/6: Bonnie Harmeson selects a toy from the top of the stack. Children from 0-12 are given a gift package that consists of socks, gloves, candy, a book and a toy, in addition to other items. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald
2/6: Bagged-up toys await delivery. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald
3/6: The Thoreson family bags up toys for familes Thursday afternoon. Laura Thorson (center), who has been volunteering for three years, now is sharing the experience with her son, Tyler, (left) and daughter, Riley.This year, Santa Claus Girls is serving 320 families and 750 children. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald
4/6: Tyler Thoreson (9) loads up for a toy run, grabbing coloring books for a family. Tyler was joined by his Mother, Laura, father, Marlin and older sister, Riley, Thursday afternoon. Volunteers help Santa Claus Girls pack up items from their trove of toys and other gifts. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald
5/6: One of the many tables stacked with toys, each age group divided with age-appropriate toys. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald
6/6: Volunteers Susan Glynn and Sandra Iverson (top) work on organizing the toys for the 100th annual Santa Claus Girls campaign. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald
