Santa arriving at Honey Creek Mall with food drive to benefit Catholic Charities

By Sue Loughlin

TERRE HAUTE — When Santa Claus comes to town later today, he’ll be encouraging his visitors to donate canned food items for the needy.

Santa will arrive at 6 p.m. in Honey Creek Mall’s Center Court. He will parade through the mall in a convertible, and immediately afterward, he will be available to hear children’s wishes.

One of Santa’s Christmas wishes is that everyone has enough to eat. “So many of my little friends are hungry. A lot of their mommies and daddies and grandmas and grandpas are out of work. If they could bring cans of food or boxes of food, any little thing will help,” he said during a short visit to the mall Thursday.

Donated food items will go to Catholic Charities of Terre Haute, said Monica Schiller, Honey Creek Mall assistant general manager.

CBL Properties, which owns Honey Creek Mall, is conducting similar food drives at other malls nationwide. The initiative is called “Santa Feeds America.”

“When customers come to see Santa, they can donate a food can which will be donated to Catholic Charities to distribute to needy people,” Schiller said.

Visiting Santa is free, while photos are available for purchase. Those who donate canned goods or other non-perishable (non-glass) food items receive a $2 discount on photos.

John Etling, executive director of Catholic Charities, said the food drive is much needed during these difficult economic times. “I think every day is Christmas when it comes to giving and reaching out to help people,” he said.

The drive is another good way to raise awareness and get the public involved in efforts to help feed those who are struggling, Etling said.

Santa’s schedule at the mall is 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. On Christmas Eve, he’ll be at the mall from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Trees for Troops

Jeffrey Alans at Honey Creek Mall is sponsoring Trees for Troops this year.

Real Christmas trees will be in stock the week of Thanksgiving. Customers may purchase a Balsam Fir tree for $19.97, which will be delivered to troops or their families left behind at bases throughout the United States and overseas.

Customers will be given a tag to fill out to be attached to the purchased tree.

Trees may be purchased at any time. The trees will be loaded for delivery Dec. 4 through Dec. 6.

Jeffrey Alans will donate $5 to the Trees for Troops program for every tree purchased.

Visit www.treesfortroops.org or contact the store manager for more information and to see how the program works.

Santa at the Park

Thanks to a donation by the local Walmart stores, the cost for pictures with Santa during this year’s Christmas in the Park has been reduced from $3 to only $1 per picture.

Dates for this year’s Santa pictures are 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 7 and 14 and 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 12, 13, 19 and 20.

The kickoff to the 23rd Annual Christmas in the Park is 6 p.m. Dec. 7, when Mayor Duke Bennett will flip the switch for the ceremonial lighting.

Judging night for each display is 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Lights will be on display until Dec. 27.

Downtown contest

Merchants between Poplar and Cherry streets and First and 14th streets are eligible to participate in the Holiday Window Decorating Contest sponsored by Downtown Terre Haute.

Judges will view all decorated windows Dec. 3 and announce the winner Dec. 4 as part of the downtown Miracle on Seventh Street event. The winning window will receive a free ad in either the Tribune-Star or Terre Haute Living (winner’s choice).

Registration forms are available at River Wools, Crossroads Café or provide the following information by Nov. 25 to Martha at 671 Wabash, Terre Haute, IN 47807: Business name; business location; contact person; telephone number; and e-mail address.

Call Martha at (812) 238-0090 for more information.

Santa going high-tech this season

Santa at Honey Creek Mall plans to use some high-tech tools to connect with his fans this year, including text messages and Web-based videos.

For more info, go to HoneyCreekMall.com, which provides Santa’s visiting hours at the mall, Dear Santa letters and coloring sheets to download, and a series of video messages from Santa about how he and his elves are preparing for Christmas Eve.

Customers also can sign up their children to receive mobile phone text messages from Santa.

These text messages allow for personalization by family and friends including scheduled times for the children to receive the message. Three text messages to a child before Christmas Day cost $5.49, and a customizable message for Christmas morning can be scheduled for an additional 99 cents.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.