All About the Christmas Program

St. Margaret’s Center staff and volunteers are preparing for our annual Christmas Program for underprivileged families. This year our program will take place on Saturday, December 19^th at Hollywood Park Racetrack, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We anticipate hosting 1,100 children and their families---approximately 450 families.

All of the families live at or below the poverty level and reside in the Airport area of Los Angeles (primarily in Lennox, Inglewood and Hawthorne). The families register beforehand, and provide verification of their income and family members. Most of them participate in one or more of the following programs at St. Margaret’s Center throughout the year: food, shelter, rent assistance, utility assistance, ESL & Citizenship classes, literacy, counseling, immigration processing and advocacy. St. Margaret’s Center’s services are provided free of charge (except nominal fees for immigration and counseling), and anyone may qualify for service, regardless of race, national origin or religious affiliation.

On December 19^th the families will step into an exciting winter wonderland at Hollywood Park. Games, prizes, refreshments, facepainting, arts and crafts, music, live entertainment and Santa himself will keep the children occupied while their parents “shop” for three gifts each per child. The toys they select will be wrapped right there by volunteers so that the children will enjoy Christmas morning surprises. Each child will also receive a “goody bag” filled with toys and treats and a book, and each family will be given a $25 gift certificate from a local grocery chain to buy their favorite holiday meal.

To stage this joyful event, St. Margaret’s Center is soliciting tax-deductible donations. Please see the attached list. We’d appreciate donations by December 15^th, if possible.

We invite you to drop by, or volunteer at our holiday event. On behalf of the hundreds of families and children who will participate, thank you for your generous support. May you enjoy a blessed and peaceful holiday season!