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# Kids get sweet Salvation
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/kids-get-sweet-salvation-2/
- Published: 2006-11-15T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T22:08:52.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Education, Downtown, #archive-import

COLORADO AVE. — Though he may soon be busy assembling toys with his elves in the North Pole, Kris Kringle managed to pull himself away from his workshop on Tuesday to usher in the holiday season with a few needy children from the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District.

With carolers from Santa Monica High School serenading them, the 75 youngsters — ages 5 through 12 — joined Santa Claus and his small army of community volunteers as they hit the second floor of Sears downtown to grab deals on shoes, jeans and T-shirts during the first holiday sale of the season.

Each child was given a $100 gift card and allowed to roam the racks. With wide smiles, they gathered up their goodies, some of which was marked down by as much as 40 percent.

The savings may have been lost on some of the kids, but either way, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves during the 22nd annual Salvation Army holiday shopping spree.

“This is really cool,” said 8-year-old Amante Allen, a student at Will Rogers Elementary School. “I got some new shoes and some pants too.”

New sneakers were hot items, as were Levi’s and winter coats, even socks and underwear.

Adult volunteers from the Santa Monica Police Department, Kiwanis and Elks clubs, and several local universities helped the kids find their sizes and calculate the costs. If some went over budget, a few volunteers pulled out their wallets.

“It’s nice to always give something back to the community and not expect anything in return,” said Capt. Eric Bradley, an associate officer and pastor with the Salvation Army, which raised just over $7,000 for the shopping spree.“We are really just the channel for people to donate money. The whole community has really come together here to help and be a blessing to those in need.

“This is very exciting.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 15, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111506.pdf?ref=smdp.com)