Published: December 04, 2008 10:17 am      

Brown Santa needs help

The Hays County Sheriff's Office Brown Santa program is holding several fundraisers Saturday.

In Buda, the annual BudaFest parade will feature a float with Brown Santa on board to wish everyone happy holidays as well as accept toys and canned goods for its program. Anyone wanting to donate a new unwrapped toy can hand it to one of the volunteers walking with the float.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. at the Buda City Park.

At the Buda Walmart as well as the San Marcos Walmart, Brown Santa will have tables at those locations from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. accepting toys, food and monetary donations.

Brown Santa reaches out to the families in need throughout Hays County by providing a turkey dinner and toys.

This year, donations are very low and requests for assistance are increasing daily. According to Lt. Dennis Gutierrez, the Brown Santa coordinator, it will be a rough year to meet all of the demands. Some businesses in the past will not be able to contribute this year due to the economy.

Anyone wanting to make a contribution to Hays County Brown Santa can mail it to Hays County Brown Santa P.O. Box 1475, San Marcos, TX, 78667. Checks or money orders need to be made out to “Brown Santa.”

To make a food and/or toy donation or adopt a family, contact Lt. Gutierrez at 393-7877.