Santa delivers donations to fast food employees working Christmas Eve

Taylor Graham by Taylor Graham

Being home for the holidays is no guarantee for some — and no one knows that better than those who work in the fast food industry. Hundreds of people spent Christmas Eve away from their families Monday, as they clocked in at fast food restaurants across the city. But someone special made sure to pay them a visit.

Santa Claus kicked off his biggest night of the year with a small but meaningful gesture. He, Mrs. Claus and volunteers from Big Table passed out candy canes and $20 bills to the fast food employees spending their holiday serving others.

“You know, there’s something about appreciating people that work in an industry that don’t really get a lot of appreciation,” Claus said after visiting a Spokane Arby’s. “They matter. We care about them. We love them.”

He’s someone who doesn’t normally get to see kids opening their presents on Christmas Day, but for the last five years, he’s seen these employees’ smiles by working with Big Table, a Spokane non-profit that helps those in the service industry.

Chris Deitz with Big Table tagged along to pass out $20 bills to the employees at a Spokane KFC during the non-profit’s annual Holiday Blitz.

“It’s so easy to get caught up in our own things and not to take the time to just recognize somebody who, maybe doesn’t have the opportunity to be home and just, to bring a little joy to them rather than just hoarding it for ourselves,” he said.

Santa, Chris and the rest of the volunteers will pass out more than $8,000 to 410 fast food employees over the course of two days. They’ll visit 38 restaurants in the area, with a majority of the money raised by community donations.

It’s the ultimate gift for someone who’s usually passing out the presents.

“For somebody not only to say ‘thank you,’ but to say ‘thank you’ on a day like this, and to say ‘thank you’ with something tangible, it means the world to them,” Claus said. “You see it in their face, you see it in their smiles.”

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