Local Secret Santa program organizers report that so many people signed up to help St. Nick find the right gifts for local kids that they extended the sign-up deadline to better balance want-to-be Santa’s helpers with recipients.
Parents who need a little extra help for Christmas can now sign their kids up until December 11. Here is the link for them to sign up https://www.sugarfishvt.com/mrv-secret-santa. Word has also gone out to the local schools and day cares.
Heather Habich and Suze Edwards organized the effort and are thrilled with the results.
“Suze and I put this together in a very short time and we are so proud that it has taken off like this. To date, we have about 70 kids and just a few extra sponsors and a few sponsors in reserve that already were assigned a child and want another one,” Habich said.
Habich and Edwards (Sugarfish) have three ways for people to participate.
People can sign up on https://www.sugarfishvt.com/mrv-secret-santa to sponsor a child and will be matched anonymously with a child and receive their age, gender and gift requests. The deadline to deliver gifts to Sugarfish VT (168 Fiddlers Green, Waitsfield) is December 13 at 6 p.m. although Habich said that with the extended deadlines, gifts can be dropped off early the following week or as soon as possible.
Community members can drop off new unwrapped gifts at The Mad River Taste Place, The Green Closet, Mad River Eye Care, the VG, Vee’s Flowers, Mountain Rose Yoga, Mehuron’s, East Warren Community Market, Forty Bridge Boutique, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Sugarfish VT, Paradise Provisions and The Collection where any toy bought for either the toy collection box or the sponsorship program will be discounted. Those gifts should be dropped off by December 14. Gifts that are dropped off will be used to even out gifts for all participating kids.
People can email Habich or Edwards for a direct donation and they’ll do the shopping. They can be reached at
Confidentiality for parents who want to sign up a child will be respected, Habich said and noted that parents can pick up gifts at Sugarfish VT on December 20 and 21.
