Charity inspired by child's letter to Santa delivers 400,000 gifts
The Forgotten Children's Fund will mark its fiftieth Christmas in 2026 after being founded by a Seattle restaurateur.
A charity founded after a seven-year-old boy wrote a letter to Santa Claus in December 1976 has delivered over 400,000 gifts to children, according to a Times of India report.
The boy, Craig, had drawn a map to his home because he believed Santa had lost his way after no presents arrived the previous year. The letter was delivered to Francisco's, a restaurant in Seattle, instead of the North Pole.
Restaurant owner and Marine Dick Francisco read the letter and founded The Forgotten Children's Fund that same night. The organisation's first Christmas reached 81 families and 285 children.
The all-volunteer charity has since served more than 19,000 families. In 2025, more than 3,500 volunteers prepared over 22,000 gifts and hundreds of bicycles for 2,100 children across eight Washington counties.
The Fund also operates the M-Bar-C Ranch on Whidbey Island, which serves 2,500 children annually through a year-round programme. Dick Francisco passed away in 2016 at the age of 92.
The organisation is set to celebrate its fiftieth Christmas in 2026.