GREENFIELD — Santa and Mrs. Claus paid a visit to a dozen families in Greenfield Saturday.
It was a part of Blue Angel Connect’s Holiday Hope program, which has helped Hancock and Henry counties since 2016.
“I just wanted a way to help the community and give other people things that they don’t get," Co-president Nicole Burris said.
The holidays are tough for the Whitfield family.
Shawnda and her husband Robert are waiting for their disability determinations, leaving little extra cash to pay for gifts for their two teens this year.
But Saturday, their Christmas wishes came true.
“I cried. We all cried at my table. Gratefulness. Appreciation. I really did think wow that’s amazing. They have a whole table of gifts for us," she said.
The families get gifts, a prepared lunch and items for Christmas dinner.
Burris estimates it costs between $1,000 to $1,500 for each family.
All the money comes from grants and donations from community members and local businesses.
“When we first started doing this, I was a police officer at the time. We actually used to go to people’s houses and surprise them. They had no idea we were coming to their house," Brent Burris said.
When the pandemic hit, they started hosting the event at the Buck Creek Fire Station in Greenfield.
“It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends. If we can help be a part of that to put some smiles on some faces of families, that’s why we do it," Burris said.
Blue Angel Connect purchased roughly 500 presents for families this year.
Organizers say the gift receipt was almost 24 feet long.
