A time to bring joy to needy children

For most children, the sights and sounds of a late-fall family gathering and the mouthwatering smells of turkey and pie baking in the oven mean that another holiday season has arrived and Christmas can't be far away. They know that soon Santa Claus will visit and they will wake up Christmas morning to find that their dreams have come true.

But for tens of thousands of less-fortunate children, Thanksgiving serves as a reminder of their lonely plight. For these children, there is little excitement; previous hopes have delivered only disappointment. The Christmas season is instead filled with the fear that they will again be forgotten, that they will not find a single toy under their tree.

Thanks to the Globe Santa Fund Drive and the great generosity of those who contribute to the effort, it doesn't have to be that way.

The 49th annual Globe Santa charity campaign formally begins today. It is an effort to help families who celebrate the holidays in the Santa Claus tradition, but cannot afford to buy gifts. All of the money donated to Globe Santa is used to buy toys for children at Christmas. The Globe Foundation pays the administrative and operational costs of the drive.

Last year, Globe Santa raised $1,163,942.48 and delivered gifts to 57,668 children in 29,157 families. It marked the 17th consecutive year that more than $1 million was donated, and Christmas was made merrier for families in some 130 Eastern Massachusetts cities and towns.

The number of families in need has shown no signs of subsiding. By late yesterday, the Globe had received an estimated 16,000 letters asking for help. Though many in the region have been preoccupied this fall, whether celebrating the Red Sox comeback to capture their first championship in 86 years or bemoaning another hometown politician's failed presidential bid, the people who help make Globe Santa a success have been hard at work for the better part of two months.

In a basement office of the Globe's Morrissey Boulevard headquarters, Globe Santa staff have spent long days processing, verifying, and reading sometimes heart-wrenching stories of children whose young lives have been punctuated by struggle, uncertainty, and sadness.

Each request must be countersigned by a licensed social service or religious agency registered with Globe Santa. The agency must have documented records of the family's hardship, and letters must be received by Dec. 3.

Many factors can leave parents in desperate situations, having to choose between paying food, rent, and heating costs or buying Christmas presents. Health problems, job loss, divorce, or death of a loved one are only some of the problems faced by many. And the struggling economy and high cost of living can drive families below the poverty line.

There are more than 260,000 children living in poverty in Massachusetts, an increase of about 60,000 from 2002, according to Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies. That figure translates to 1 in 6 children being classified as poor or "near poor," defined by the federal government as a family of four with income less than $22,500.

The numbers are even more alarming in Boston, where more than 33,000 youths, or about 30 percent, are classified as poor, according to Andrew Sum, the center's director. "Things have deteriorated, particularly since the 2000 census," Sum said. "It's very rough on the city, but in surrounding suburbs as well, because, overall, income has dropped. Jobs are scarce and the ones that are out there don't pay as well."

In addition, affordable housing shortages continue to send hundreds of families to the state seeking assistance. There are more than 1,100 Massachusetts families living in homeless shelters, according to Richard Powers, spokesman for the state Office of Health and Human Services. There are also 49,115 families on the welfare rolls as of Oct. 31.

This year, Globe Santa has set its sights to again surpass the $1 million mark. Though most contributions come from individuals, money comes from businesses, social clubs, restaurants, and schools. Many people donate because they received Globe Santa's help when they were children and want to return the favor, or they give in memory of loved ones and friends. And sometimes children who are aware that they have been blessed by fortunate circumstances save money from their allowance, paper route, or baby-sitting and send it to Globe Santa, so that another child their age can smile on Christmas Day.