Community Corner
Small Window Monday to Be An Elf Who Gives to Others
Volunteers can sort through letters to Santa Monday and then fulfill the letter writer's wish during a very short amount of time.
With dozens of letters from poor children to Santa unanswered, only one U.S. Post Office in California is left to hand them out and accept gifts for the poor, and that will be for just two hours on Monday.
The central Los Angeles sorting facility staff will let people sort through the letters from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, and will also accept the presents for mailing at that time.
Because the childrens' names and addresses are withheld, packages must be returned to the same location by 1 p.m. Monday, to allow postal workers to match presents to recipients.
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A Los Angeles man who campaigns to publicize the program, "Elf Patrick" Reynolds, said post office cutbacks have made it hard to get the letters to donors this year.
The letters typically ask for nothing for the writer, but for a specific toy that a little brother or sister would like. They also frequently ask for food, or a job for a parent.
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His website, www.BeAnElf.org, has more information.
The Los Angeles sorting facility is at 7001 S. Central Ave., on the corner of Central and Florence avenues, one mile east of the Harbor (110) Freeway's Florence Avenue exits.
- City News Service
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