Postal Service Woes Threaten To Limit 'Operation Santa' Effort
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The fallout from ongoing financial troubles for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could end up reaching as far as the North Pole this Christmas.
For the first time in more than a century, a number of children's letters addressed to Santa Claus may go unanswered, according to postal volunteers.
KNX 1070's Margaret Carrero reports Cleo Erguiza with the USPS said they were able to answer more than 450 letters last year, but it's not yet clear whether they can top that number this Christmas.
Postal Service Woes Threaten To Limit 'Operation Santa' Effort
Patrick Reynolds, founder of Be An Elf, said only one post office in the city of Los Angeles will gather letters to the North Pole from children in desperate family financial conditions at Christmas.
The city's main facility on Central Avenue will take part in the seasonal "Operation Santa" effort, which involves 16 other major U.S. cities, according to Reynolds.
Volunteers can sign up to read and respond to real letters from needy kids by sending a gift through the USPS Operation Santa program. The nonprofit group was founded in 2004 by Reynolds and is supported by a $10,000 grant per month in free advertising from Google.
Post offices in Santa Ana and Santa Clarita will also participate.
Operation Santa was started by the USPS in 1912 and has never missed a year, according to the USPS.
Click here for locations, appointments, and other information on Operation Santa.
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