For Families In Need

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Santa Claus is 6'2", 282 pounds and wears a Carolina Panthers jersey... 'cause DT Charles Johnson just hooked up 10 local families with a $30k SHOPPING SPREE!!

Johnson tells TMZ Sports he took 10 families to a Charlotte, NC Walmart ... and gave them 60 minutes to pick out whatever they wanted.

Total bill? 30,000 BUCKS ... according to Johnson.

Although C.J. took care of the whole bill ... teammates Kawann Short, Charles Tillman﻿, and Roman Harper came out to show their support.

So, why drop that much cash? "It's just something I wanted to do."