Syracuse, N.Y. — The “Old Newsboys” are back in action this year as the 90th annual Hope for the Holidays fundraiser hits the streets on Dec. 10 and 11.
Hope for the Holidays raises money to buy toys, books and food for The Christmas Bureau’s annual pre-Christmas giveaway. Its goal this year is $75,000.
The primary method of collecting money, as it has been for most of the last 90 years, is for teams of people to “sell” special editions of The Post-Standard in return for donations at locations throughout Syracuse and its suburbs.
Last year, during the Covid pandemic, all donations were made online or via the mail and still managed to raise $54,000. That helped provide gifts for almost 5,000 children and more than 2,000 participating families.
This year the typical 150 to 200 volunteers will be back on the streets, but online and mail donations will also be accepted, said Tom Brown, circulation operations director for Advance Local Syracuse, the publisher of The Post-Standard.
There are almost 30 teams signed up so far. Among the larger teams participating each year are the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Mattydale American Legion Post 1832, Brown said.
New this year: Donations can also be made via text as well as in-person, online and mail.
“Let’s all make this 90th year of Hope for the Holidays a smashing success,” said Tim Kennedy, president of Advance Media NY, which operates The Post-Standard and syracuse.com. “Giving to help others can be so powerful – for those in need and for each of us who help.”
The Old Newsboys tradition started in 1932, when volunteers from the paper raised $1,800 to help poor families buy coal to heat their homes.
The Christmas Bureau, a joint project of the Salvation Army and the United Way, holds its gift distribution at the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse Wednesday, Dec. 15.
Details (and how to help)
In-person sales: Teams of volunteers will hits the streets starting at 6 a.m. Friday Dec. 10 and Saturday Dec. 11. You’ll find them on street corners or in or near businesses and shops that permit them. Any size donation is accepted.
To volunteer: If your or your group would like to volunteer to hawk Old Newsboys’ papers, contact Diana Cavender at 315-470-2054 or email her at dcavender@advancelocal.com.
Online: Go to HopefortheholidaysCNY to make an online donation. Those will be accepted through Dec. 31.
Text: Text HFTH2021 to 41444.
Mail: Donate by mail by sending checks to The Post-Standard, 101 N. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13202. Make check out to: The Old Newsboys Sale.
To volunteer for the Christmas Bureau gift distribution at The OnCenter on Dec. 15 call Andrew Sabbaghzadeh at The Salvation Army 315-479-3610.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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