Community Partners are essential to the ongoing work of the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) year-round but especially during the holiday season for Baltimore’s families in need.
This month, we are proud to showcase Santa’s Helpers Anonymous, a homegrown Baltimore nonprofit founded by Linda Schneider in 1989. She and her husband, Stuart “Topper” Crook and their daughters, Gretchen Bauer and Katelin Etoh, begin humbly in their basement to meet the holiday wish lists of ten families in need.
Today, with the help of 800 volunteers or “elves” from all walks of life and across the region and many generous donors, Santa’s Helpers Anonymous serves 1,000 families each year through word of mouth and no paid employees. Local and national businesses provide free or discounted gifts in addition to the ones purchased year-round by the Scheiders with donations, food, and warehouse space used to stage everything before delivery on Christmas Eve.
Volunteers wrap gifts and load boxes of food, and restaurants cook turkeys. Then volunteer elves, including BCP’s Board Co-Chair George Hess and his family, make Christmas Eve morning deliveries to families across Baltimore City.
Santa’s Helpers Anonymous has been providing gifts and Christmas dinner for numerous families at City Springs Elementary / Middle School for years. The “anonymous” part of the nonprofit’s title is key: Santa’s Helpers Anonymous reaches out to educators, first responders, and community organizations to identify families who need help during the holidays.
City Springs educators nominate families for support and share those names with the organization, unbeknownst to the family. This year, Santa’s Helpers Anonymous is providing gifts to 41 City Springs families for a total of 111 children.
It’s the surprise and joy of the deliveries that makes this such a beloved tradition for the Hess family. “I’ve made deliveries, and people have cried,” says George, who has served on the Santa’s Helpers Anonymous board for 20 years. “It clearly means a lot to many people, including my family. We’ve delivered gifts for years. We are Jewish, and this outreach embraces the spirit of giving during Christmas and Hannakuh.”
Santa’s Helpers Anonymous By the Numbers:
- 1,000 families/4,500 people helped annually
- 26+ tons of food given
- 4,500 wrapped presents given
- 100% Volunteer Supported
- 350+ volunteers wrapping gifts
- Dozens of restaurants and caterers cooking turkeys
- 600+ “elves” delivering gifts and dinners to families on Christmas Eve
Thank you, Santa’s Helpers Anonymous, for your wonderful support!
For more information, visit santashelpersanonymous.org.
Interested in partnering with BCP schools? Learn more and read about other community partners.
