By Shaelyn Smead, Tulalip News
On December 9-10, the Tulalip Bay Fire Department hosted its annual Santa Run. The department helped spread holiday cheer while collecting non-perishable foods and monetary donations to support the food bank at the Tulalip Church of God.
All around Tulalip, people could hear a mix of sirens, Christmas music, and a jolly, “Ho Ho Ho” from honorary guest, Santa! A firetruck covered in lights and candy canes led the Fire Department parade, as five more trucks and engines followed shortly behind. Families rushed from their houses and stood anxiously by the edge of the road, anticipating their arrival. Children grinned from ear to ear as they ran up to Santa and announced their Christmas wishes. Ole Saint Nick was spotted running up to doors, handing out candy canes, yelling “Merry Christmas,” and asking people of all ages whether they are on the naughty or nice list this year.
A Santa tracker was available again for this year’s event on the Tulalip Bay Fire Department’s Facebook page, where community members could follow Santa’s GPS location and see which neighborhood he was visiting in real-time.
Some of the Tulalip areas visited were:
- Madison Estates
- Tulare
- Spee-Bi-Dah
- Tulalip Shores
- 83rd Pl Nw
- Hermosa
- 43rd St NW
- Potlach
- 56th St NW to 62nd St NW
- Y-Site
- Mission Ave
- Battle Creek
- Walter Moses Jr Dr/28th Dr. NW
- Ezra Hatch RD/ Larry Price Loop Rd
- Mission Highlands
- Silver Village
Tulalip Firefighter and Paramedic Lindsay Ross, who has participated in the Santa Run for the past six years said, “This is our community that we take care of daily. We love being able to do this every year, to give back and share these memories with them. We love hanging out with the kids, but we also love visiting the elders. I know they’re a big part of the population and an important part of this community, so visiting and bringing them that Christmas spirit is important to us.”
An abundance of households were prepared to help those less fortunate as firefighters rounded up their canned goods, non-perishables, and monetary donations.
On December 12, several Tulalip firefighters drove to the Tulalip Church of God to make a special delivery. With hundreds of pounds of food and a $904 check, the Tulalip Church of God was overwhelmingly thankful for everything that was donated by the community.
“We are so blessed to be partnered with the Tulalip Bay Fire Department and to have such a good relationship with the Tulalip community. Everyone has been so good to us and has made it possible for us to continue helping others. I think this was our biggest Santa Run donation yet!” said the Food Bank Manager Charolette Petrie.
The food bank is available to community members and is open every Tuesday throughout the year. Contributions from events like the Santa Run help the food bank tremendously and allow more families to get the food they need. Much like the Thanksgiving baskets distributed earlier this year, Christmas baskets will also be given out to anyone in need. If you would like to donate to the Tulalip Church of God, please visit the church at 1330 Marine Dr. NE, Tulalip, WA, or contact them at (360) 653-7876.