Be An Elf - Christmas charity for children, supporting Operation Santa, Playa del Rey, CA (2026)

Then mail your gifts directly to the child or family who wrote Santa. Bookmark www.BeAnElf.org now! We answer sad letters to Santa written by children who need a brighter Christmas. You can adopt real letters to Santa written by underprivileged kids and send your gifts directly to the children who wrote to him. There’s no middle man or charity; it’s micro-philanthropy, direct from you to a child w

hen you give in this way. Every December since 1912, the US Postal Service ® has permitted the public to read and adopt children’s letters to Santa. Many are written by kids and Moms who ask only for “a warm coat for my daughter,” “new shoes, size 6,” or other basic necessities. Volunteers at Christmas may mail their gifts directly to the child or family who needs a brighter Christmas. On December 4, 2020 the USPS ® launched a new website making the letters to Santa available for adoption online from anywhere in the US. After selecting letters to post at the site, the elves at the USPS send every letter on to Santa so he can deliver his gifts, too. Some volunteers feel alone and sad over the holidays, and find comfort and inspiration being part of this. Others have families and bring their kids to teach them the meaning of Christmas. Volunteers can print out letters they adopt from the USPS website, along with an encoded address label to go with each letter, needed later when they mail their packages. To protect children’s privacy, USPS ® staff redact family names and addresses from letters before posting online. Volunteers who adopt letters may mail their gifts from any of 19,000 postal branches nationwide that offer “label scanning”. Our website will help you find one. Gifts must be mailed by December 20th in order to be delivered by Christmas. Be An Elf adopts our own letters every year according to the number of donations we receive. We only answer letters we adopt from the USPS website, and not from people who email us asking for gifts. Every year we select letters asking for new shoes, clothes, and other basic needs. Many are written by sad parents who explain they are living alone with children still too little to write. Depending on how much we raise, Be An Elf’s goal is to send each mom a Target gift card for $100. Our donors get a tax deduction, and we have faith that the Moms know best what their kids most want and need. Donations to Be An Elf are tax-deductible. For the first time, this year volunteers may mail us the printouts and address labels of Santa letters they adopt online, along with a check for $100 for each letter they send us. They may also make a gift to Be An Elf using our Donate Now button, and then send us an email using our Contact us page, letting us know they made a donation at our website and will be mailing us the letter or letters they’ve adopted online. Adding a bit extra to cover our charity’s costs would be very helpful. Volunteers may raise the funds from friends, too. Checks should be made payable to Be An Elf for $100 per letter, and our mailing address is on our Donate Now page. Be sure to include the barcoded address label printed out from the USPS site with the letter/s you adopted, and we will send them a $100 Target gift card tucked in a Christmas card with a note saying only, “This is for your kids. Love, Santa.” We trust the Moms can best shop for their children. Please Donate Now and make a tax-deductible gift to Be An Elf to help us send more gifts to low-income families in time for Christmas. Whether you visit www.USPSoperationsanta.com and select a letter, shop and send gifts yourself, or Donate Now to Be An Elf, you’ll catch the true spirit of the holidays and help put smiles on the faces of needy kids on Christmas morning. Thanks for being an Elf!

12/31/2025

If you're looking for a wonderful charity to close out your giving for 2025, BeAnElf.org sends gifts to low-income kids every December. This year they gave more than in any previous year. The little girl in the photo wrote to Santa asking only for a warm coat, new shoes, and a toy. Be An Elf's volunteer adopted it online at the USPS Operation Santa® website and made her wish come true.

In fact, the USPS® has permitted the public to adopt children's letters to Santa every year since 1912. Be An Elf is a tax-exempt charity not affiliated with the USPS®, but we support it by creating public awareness, by recruiting hundreds of new volunteers who send gifts every year, and by providing an excellent guide for new volunteer elves.

When YOU adopt a letter to Santa, it's micro-philanthropy, direct from you to a child, with no charity involved. While donations to our charity will be put to good use, you'll find deeper satisfaction when you adopt a letter to Santa at the USPS® website next December, and mail the family your gifts directly.

If you make a tax-deductible contribution to Be An Elf now, we'll use your donation to recruit new volunteers and further our mission and outreach. Donate now at our website, BeAnElf.org.

We have adopted letters from single moms who say their children are still too young to write, and list their kids' ages, clothing, and shoe sizes. A child wrote Santa, "Our stuff is old, my mom cries a lot, and we probably won't have much of a Christmas. Please send me new clothes, a warm coat, and Christmas dinner for our family."

Their letters are heartbreaking, and Be An Elf and our many Elves are answering the call. Some volunteers feel alone and sad over the holidays, and find comfort and inspiration adopting a child's letter. Help adopt a letter to Santa, and your heart will fill with feelings of love and true Christmas spirit. Donate now at BeAnElf.org, now or in the New Year, and help bring smiles to low-income children next Christmas morning.

She mailed her letter to Santa and asked only for a warm coat, new shoes, and a toy. Our volunteer adopted it at the USPS Operation Santa ® website, and made her wish come true. When you adopt a child’s letter to Santa, it’s micro-philanthropy, direct from you to a child, with no charity involv...

12/19/2025

Hello Hannah, If you to www.BeAnElf.org and click on Seeking Gifts? in the main menu, we have some great tips for getting volunteers' attention -- please take a look. At this point you might want to Google this phrase:

Toy Drives Near Me

and see what comes up. But really read our page, and there are directions for creating a Go Fund Me page if you are having serious financial or health issues. We hope things get better for you.

Our volunteers' gifts only supplement what Santa will bring your kids. They are not a replacement for Santa! We know he will bring his gifts to your house this year! See above, too!

She mailed her letter to Santa and asked only for a warm coat, new shoes, and a toy. Our volunteer adopted it at the USPS Operation Santa ® website, and made her wish come true. When you adopt a child’s letter to Santa, it’s micro-philanthropy, direct from you to a child, with no charity involv...

12/02/2025

This little girl mailed her letter to Santa asking only for a warm coat, new shoes, and a toy. Our volunteer adopted it online at the USPS Operation Santa website, and sent her gifts. The USPS ® has been making real letters to Santa available to the public since 1912. When you give in this way, it's micro-philanthropy, direct from you to a child, with no charity involved.

In 2025, Be An Elf is adopting more letters than every before. We're a tax-exempt, all-volunteer charity, not affiliated with USPS®, but we create public awareness and recruit volunteers for the USPS® program, and we provide an excellent guide for new volunteer elves.

While donations to our charity are welcome and will be put to good use, you'll find deeper satisfaction when you adopt a letter to Santa at the USPS® website, and mail the family your gifts directly.

If you don't have time to shop and send gifts, you can make a tax-deductible contribution online at BeAnElf.org and we'll use part of your donation to adopt letters to Santa and send gifts to families, and part to further our mission and outreach.

Some letters we adopt are from single moms who say their children are still too young to write, and list their kids' ages and clothing sizes. A 12 year old wrote, "I'm sad this Christmas because my Mom lost her job. I'm not asking for much, but I need new clothes. I feel ashamed sometimes at school."

Their letters are heartbreaking, and Be An Elf and our many volunteers will answer the call again this year.

Some of our volunteers feel alone and sad over the holidays, and find comfort and inspiration adopting a child's letter. Others include their kids to teach them the meaning of Christmas.
But best of all, when you adopt a letter, you'll reawaken the true spirit of Christmas in your own heart.

You can help bring joy to low-income children on Christmas morning. Learn more about our work at BeAnElf.org now!

12/08/2024

https://conta.cc/4f9JtTV

Email from Be An Elf Adopt an actual letter to Santa online from the USPS website, and make a child smile on Christmas morning. Join us and make a child smile who needs a brighter Christmas She wro

Address

Playa Del Rey, CA
90293

Website

http://BeAnElf.org/give-fb

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