Santa Run helps fill food bank
Published 9:56 pm Tuesday, December 9, 2008
ARLINGTON — Santa Claus isn’t the Popsicle Man, but in neighborhoods here he has the same effect.
Through the evening of Dec. 17, Arlington firefighters and their friends are escorting the old man through the city. When kids hear Christmas music playing from a decorated fire engine, they know to run out of their houses to visit with Santa, who hands out candy canes to everyone.
Called the 12 Nights of Christmas or just the Santa Run, it’s a tradition that’s more than 20 years old, firefighter Ronda Davies said.
Sometime along the way, Davies said, people began giving the firemen food to deliver to low-income families in town. Now that’s part of the tradition, too, with donations of food and money going to the Arlington Community Food Bank.
Last year, the firefighters collected more than 5,500 pounds of food and more than $1,000 in cash or checks for the food bank. The current food drive is on track to meet or exceed those tallies, Davies said.
“We’ve had a wonderful response so far,” Davies said. “We started out with 6,000 candy canes for the kids, and I hope we don’t run out.”
The primary purpose of the Santa Run continues to be Santa’s visit with the children of Arlington, Davies said. With more people out of work and the food bank struggling to help with the growing needs of the community, the food drive is equally important, she said.
The Santa Run is fun to watch, city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.
“You should see the people running out to the street with bags of food and smiles on their faces,” Banfield said. “It’s an awesome event.”
The firefighters and other volunteers give many hours to make the Santa Run a success, Banfield said.
The map of Santa’s route is available at the Arlington Library, Arlington City Hall and the fire stations at 137 N. McLeod Ave. and 6231 188th St. NE.
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Where’s Santa?
Call 360-403-3600 or go online to www.ci.arlington.wa.us/index.asp?nid=263.
