Santa delivers handmade wooden toys to Cuidando Los Niños

Santa Claus gave his reindeer and sleigh a break Thursday morning as he hitched a ride on an Albuquerque Fire Rescue fire truck to make a special delivery of handmade wooden toys to children at Cuidando Los Niños.

“It’s something that our kids look forward to all year long,” said Jeff Hoehn, executive director at Cuidando Los Niños.

Santa and several members from Albuquerque Fire Rescue Station 2 visited several classrooms with children ranging in age from 4 months to 4 years old. They stopped in each room to sit down and speak with the children and hand out candy canes and wooden toys built by members of the Albuquerque Woodworkers Association.

Depending on their age, children received either a wooden toy duck, whale, race car or airplane.

John Henderson, Albuquerque Woodworkers Association vice President, said the organization spends the year building toys that are distributed to more than 30 social service organizations, shelters, hospitals and schools in the Albuquerque area.

“The whole purpose of AWA creating toys for Christmas is to distribute them to needy families and people who otherwise might not get the toys,” Henderson said.

Photos: Santa delivers handmade wooden toys to Cuidando Los Niños

The children and families enrolled at Cuidando Los Niños fit that purpose perfectly. Each family is homeless upon enrollment, and both child and parent receive services to help them break the cycle of homelessness. Among the services are early childhood education and care, case management, supportive housing and parent education.

The visit from Santa and the feeling of personally receiving a toy from him also play a part in their success, according to Hoehn.

“The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, and giving these children that experience as young people is something that they will carry for the rest of their lives,” Hoehn said. “We want these kids to have what any other child in our community has, and Santa and the toys are part of that story.”