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Advocate

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The MEG Toy Drive

doing santas work

Kevin Andrews plays Santa Claus with Sachem Friends to help make Christmas brighter for children of needy families

  This is the time of year that Kevin Andrews just can’t help himself. He loves to put on a Santa Claus suit and go out and round up some toys for needy Saugus kids who might not receive Christmas presents.

  “When I was 18 years old, my aunt, who was a professional seamstress, made me my first Santa suit,” Andrews said in an interview this week as he recalled his Aunt Pauline (Andrews), who passed away in 2009.

  “I still have the suit, but don’t wear it. But I probably have seven Santa Claus suits now that I can pick from to wear,” he said.

  Andrews, a 1986 Saugus High School graduate and longtime volunteer for numerous youth sports organizations, has a passion for spreading some holiday cheer to the less fortunate kids of his hometown. So, for a few nights for the next two weeks, he plans on wearing one of his Santa suits as he hangs out at the Marleah Elizabeth Graves (MEG) Building, working on his latest toy drive.

  This year, Andrews and his elves will be teaming up with Sachem Friends. “I have previously done this for five years with ‘Saugus We Care’ – and this will be my seventh toy drive,” Andrews said.

  “We did it last year. It was difficult with COVID. It was challenging. We thought of canceling it last year, but with so many people out of work, we felt it was the year that people needed this most. We helped 22 families,” he said.

  “In the past, we have ranged from 17 to 40 families. What’s good – there are so many organizations doing this in Saugus. I think there are at least three different toy drives that have been going on in town,” he said.

  So, who are Kevin Andrews and his Sachem Elves? “This organization includes me, Julie Cicolini, Jeannie Meredith, Terry Osoro and Tara Stackhouse,” Andrews said.

  “They were handpicked by me. I picked them because of their skill set: what they bring to the table. They do Facebook. To me, The toy drive is a big thing. There is always somebody who needs help. And that’s what we’re all about,” he said.

  Andrews said his toy drive will once again operate in a corner out of the MEG Building. It is home of the Marleah Elizabeth Graves (MEG) Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the historic Cliftondale School. “This is pretty special for me,” Andrews said.

  “I went to school here, grades 1 through 4. I was with the same kids for four years. And I knew Ms. Graves. I used to mow her lawn and rake her leaves,” he said.

  Andrews is still looking for help from the community – people who want to donate new unwrapped toys, sponsor a family wish list or provide gift card donations. If you want to help, he asks that you message his group atSaugusFriends@gmail.com.

  For logistical reasons, Andrews asks that people not wrap the gifts they are donating. “We used to wrap them, but the families themselves feel more a part of the process if we leave the wrapping to them,” Andrews said.

  “It’s just a better way to do it. They know what the kids are getting and they’re helping out by doing their own wrapping,” he said.

  “Saugus youth is involved in the project. They help us separate the gifts into piles for the boys and girls and different ages. Dec. 21 will be the last night of the toy drive. We will start making deliveries between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve).

  How you can help: Anyone who wants to donate can drop off unwrapped presents next Tuesday (Dec. 14) and the following Tuesday (Dec. 21) from 6 to 8 p.m. at the MEG Building at 54-58 Essex St. in Saugus.

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