Soups with Santa to help ailing girl, seniors Friday in Hope

The Student’s Fund of Hope will be holding a Soups with Santa event at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon at Hauser auditorium to help a girl needing brain surgery and senior residents of the community.

The event will have a free will donation soup dinner along with other festivities. Organizer Whitney Budd explains.

Families will be able to get a free family photo with Santa Claus, done by a professional photographer. There will also be a Santa letter writing table, gingerbread decorating and a drive to help some Miller’s Merry Manor residents.

Budd said the Hope-area retirement home has some residents without families or who are in need. She said participants can bring a shoebox full of personal care items that will be given as gifts to the residents. There will be a gift-wrapping station on Friday to decorate the boxes.

Items needed by the seniors include:  tissues, shampoo, body wash, fleece blankets, slipper socks and small stuffed animals.

The Students Fund of Hope was established earlier this year to help the families in need at Hope Elementary and Hauser Jr./Sr. High schools. Some of the proceeds from Friday’s event will go to help the family of Azlyn Whittington, a Hope Elementary 2nd grader who needs brain surgery. She is the daughter of Rhett Whittington and Ramber Rice.

All of the the activities are free but donations will be accepted to help the cause.