Local group spreading holiday cheer to Georgia children in foster care

St. Vincent de Paul relies on volunteers to help it distribute gifts to about 7,000 foster children in Georgia. (Courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul)

The holidays can be a lonely time of year for kids in foster care. But one local organization is trying to make the holidays brighter for many of them. St. Vincent de Paul organizes a statewide project that delivers holiday gifts to kids in Georgia’s foster care system. Atlanta-based consumer advocate Clark Howard started the program more than 30 years ago.

“As a rule, we have about 7,500 volunteers a year,” says St. Vincent de Paul’s Chief Operating Officer Darrell Hooker. “About 2,500 of those are our core volunteers…and then we have what we call a casual volunteer.”

On a recent Friday, more than a dozen volunteers unloaded gifts like bikes, dolls, books, and scooters in a giant East Point warehouse.