Nearly a century ago, a young civic leader launched a program meant to bring holiday joy to the youngest and poorest of Baltimore’s own. Ninety years later, Santa Claus Anonymous — the all-volunteer creation of Theodore R. McKeldin, later the city’s mayor and governor of Maryland — provides a respite for children otherwise destined for a bleak Christmas. This year, the non-profit hopes to raise $300,000 for gifts for low-income recipients in the Baltimore metro area.
Here are highlights chronicling the growth of Santa Claus Anonymous, as reported by The Sun and Evening Sun:
1934: The city’s Junior Association of Commerce, of which McKeldin is president, the Junior League of Baltimore and the Evening Sun combine to raise $800 for a two-hour Christmas party for underprivileged children during the Great Depression.
1935: Three days before Christmas, those same benefactors indulge 5,000 needy kids to a day of entertainment. The children are taken to the Century and Valencia theaters and treated to gifts, food, a Jack Benny movie and personal appearances by actors Jackie Coogan and Betty Grable.
1940: The annual gift-giving gala for Baltimore’s poor is incorporated as Christmas Party, Inc.
1941: Realizing “the importance of maintaining civilian morale” following America’s entry into World War II, city merchants donate enough fruit, nuts, candy and cakes to fill 7,500 stockings for impoverished children.
1942-1946: The charity is suspended for the duration of the war.
1948: Radio station WITH-AM broadcasts two 10-minute shows on Sundays, in December, to promote the holiday drive … The Sheraton-Belvedere Hotel holds benefit cabaret dances to drum up support.
1954: Christmas Party, Inc. changes its name to Santa Claus Anonymous (SCA).
1957: The $3 SCA gift certificates, which are exchanged for toys or clothing at area department stores, buy much-needed shoes for — among many others — a 13-year-old girl with an artificial leg, and clothes for three children whose mother is confined to a wheelchair after being shot by her spouse.
1958: An Evening Sun editorial touts Santa Claus Anonymous, stating, “If there is a better way of lifting the hearts of children who might otherwise receive nothing at all, we haven’t heard of it.”
1959: The donation of a charitable Cub Scout consists of five nickels taped to a piece of paper. A 28-cent contribution contains a note stating that the donors were a couple, on welfare, who were sacrificing their one pack of cigarettes, for two weeks, in hopes of making a child happy. This year’s goal: $51,000.
1963: A class of first-grade students collects $3.02 in pennies for the poor. An unidentified man enters the organization’s office at 22 Light St., plunks down two $50 bills, and walks out.
1970: Students from Towson State, Loyola College and the University of Baltimore compete for 70 straight hours in a marathon football game at Herring Run Park, which nets $5,000 for the cause and becomes an annual event. Sidelights include a football game featuring Playboy bunnies and a mini-skirt contest.
1975: Each Saturday, as the holidays approach, William Reuter, a 27-year-old banker, dons a Donald Duck costume and waddles down Saratoga Street, soliciting donations from shoppers for SCA.
1982: Laurel Race Course holds a “Santa Claus Anonymous” purse … Other fund raisers include a racquetball tournament, a 15-kilometer race downtown and a touch football game pitting the mayor and city council members against local TV and radio personalities. This year’s goal: $322,000.
1987: Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke plays auctioneer at a benefit at the Governor’s Club. The Orioles hold a sale of team wear at Memorial Stadium, marked by appearances by infielder Bill Ripken and coach Elrod Hendricks, with proceeds going to SCA, which hopes to raise $450,000 overall by Christmas.
1990: Heretofore a city program, Santa Claus Anonymous expands to encompass families in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.
1992: The charity doles out $550,000 in gift vouchers to 30,000 children.
2011: The annual Santa Claus Anonymous Wine and Beer Tasting benefit draws hundreds of donors at Timonium’s Crowne Plaza. Among them is Jim “Bud” Russell, a former SCA board member who grew up in Claremont Homes public housing in East Baltimore and was a recipient of the program’s gifts as a child.
2021: With contributions averaging nearly $275,000 in recent years, SCA — now competing for dollars with a number of holiday-based charities — turns to social media to boost its donor drive.
2024: Santa Claus Anonymous marks its 90th year in Baltimore.
Have a news tip? Contact Mike Klingaman at jklingaman@baltsun.com and 410-332-6456.