The Forgotten Children’s Fund began in December 1976 after Dick Francisco received a seven-year-old boy's misdelivered letter and immediately organized aid for 81 families. Operating without any paid staff, the organization relies on donated warehouse space where thousands of community members package customized presents and assemble bicycles each autumn. Volunteer Santas and elf crews then hand-deliver these items alongside warm blankets and full Christmas dinners. Francisco continued championing the charity until his death in 2016, leaving behind a program that reaches eight Washington counties.
Key points
The Forgotten Children's Fund has hand-delivered more than 400,000 gifts to over 19,000 f…: The Forgotten Children's Fund has hand-delivered more than 400,000 gifts to over 19,000 families across its history.
Dick Francisco dedicated the rest of his life to the initiative until he passed away in 2…: Dick Francisco dedicated the rest of his life to the initiative until he passed away in 2016 at age 92.
The all-volunteer charity will celebrate its fiftieth consecutive Christmas of operations…: The all-volunteer charity will celebrate its fiftieth consecutive Christmas of operations in 2026.
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In December 1976, a seven-year-old boy named Craig wrote to Santa Claus after no presents had arrived the previous Christmas, and he drew a map to his home in case Santa had got lost. The letter never reached the North Pole. It arrived at Francisco’s, a restaurant in Seattle, where owner Dick Francisco read it and founded The Forgotten Children’s Fund that night. That first Christmas reached 285 children in 81 families. According to the Fund’s website, the all-volunteer charity has since served more than 19,000 families and hand-delivered more than 400,000 gifts, and it marks its fiftieth Christmas in 2026.
What happened to Craig's letter to Santa in December 1976
According to the Fund's home page, the story began with a letter from seven-year-old Craig, who feared that Santa had got lost the year before, when no presents arrived. Craig drew Santa a map to his home. The page states that a group of Seattle friends read the letter and made a promise that no child in their corner of the world should ever wonder whether Santa had forgotten…
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