Fire upends Christmas charity in Michigan but thousands of kids will still get gifts
By ED WHITE
Associated Press
Donations are pouring in at a Christmas charity in Michigan after smoke damage from a fire stymied plans to deliver thousands of gifts for children. Santa Claus Girls of Kent County has been going door-to-door with gifts for struggling families for more than a century in the Grand Rapids area. But fire last week struck a building where Santa Claus Girls stores gifts. Smoke filled the space for hours. Santa Claus Girls will instead deliver gift cards for 8,500 children. Meanwhile, cash donations are coming in. The group’s president says there are many “giving hearts” in Grand Rapids.