- Welcome to "Inland Edition", where this season we're having conversations with people who represent nonprofit organizations working to make the Inland Empire a better place.

My name is Joe Richardson.

I'm a local attorney, Inland Empire resident, and your host.

And today, we're going to chat with Karen DiCarlo, the executive director of Santa Claus, Inc. You may think from the name that Santa Claus, Inc. only operates during Christmas.

But, while this organization has been providing parents with a donation experience tailored to feel like personal Christmas shopping for their children since 1952, their youth enrichment services provide quality new clothes, shoes, books, toys, and school supplies year round.

Hundreds of volunteers work together to assist over 200,000 children annually.

A proud mom of three children and ten grandchildren, Karen's passion has always been helping children in poverty.

Hired as the organization's executive director in 2012, Santa Claus, Inc. has under her leadership built strong collaborative partnerships with national corporations like FedEx, Bank of America, Amazon, and Toyota, just to name a few and resulted in millions of dollars in donations.

Let's meet her, and learn more about how Santa Claus, Inc. is affecting our community on a daily basis.

[soft piano music] ♪ [gentle upbeat music] ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Joe] So, I'm happy to welcome from Santa Claus, Inc., executive director Karen DiCarlo.

Karen, thank you for coming to "Inland Edition".

- You know what?

This is really a pleasure for me.

I'm excited!

- Yeah, this is good.

And, we are just gettin' goin' now!

I love the name of the organization.

- Mm hm.

- And, maybe your story is one- I want you to tell it- about being-- What happens when you're the most valuable volunteer!

(pauses) How did you get to be-?

- You end up being the only, uh?

(both laugh) You end up being the executive director!

Yeah.

- Were you really-?

I read that.

Were you really a volunteer for 27 years before you were the executive director?

- Yes.

- Oh, my gosh!

- I spent several years, like, 10 years as president- - Right.

- Of the board.

- Right.

- But, a day came when they decided maybe we should start writing grants to raise more money.

- Sure.

- And, if you're gonna write grants, somebody has to be accountable.

- Right.

- So?

That was me, I guess.

- Right!

Sure looks that way!

- [Karen] Yeah!

(laughs) - So, one of the dramatic ironies here is that your organization is called Santa Claus, Inc., but you guys work all year long!

- Well, there's a story about that.

- Okay, okay!

- We were founded 70-?

Going on 73 years ago- - Oh, my gosh.

- By a Jewish lady.

- Right.

- And, we were a Christmas organization.

- Mm hm.

- Small.

Maybe helping a thousand kids the first year.

She elicited help from every community business, like, 200 businesses and they named it Santa Claus, Inc. - Right.

Wow.

- It was a no-brainer.

- Right.

- Well?

72 years later, we were kind of-?

I hate to say, "stuck with the name".

- Right!

- We can't change it!

(Joe laughs) Because, we're so well known.

Yes!

Yes.

- So, we get the question all the time, you know?

"Why are you named Santa Claus, Inc.?

- Right.

- "Are you just a Christmas organization?"

- So, we get to tell folks how you are a all year-round organization.

Tell us what Santa Claus, Inc. does.

- We provide essential needs for children and families.

- Yeah.

- We provide virtually anything and everything that a child would need.

Everything from school supplies to clothing, shoes, toys, books, hygiene supplies.

You name it, we supply it.

- Wow.

- We've grown about 1,200% to 1,300% over the last 12 years (whistles amazement) from serving 18,000 kids at Christmas only in 2012 to 244,000 in 2023.

- [Joe] Unbelievable.

- So, that's a pretty big jump.

- Wow.

How do you come across the people that you help?

Do they find you?

Do you find them?

How does that go?

- Oh, they find us!

(she chuckles) But, we work in Riverside and San Bernardino County schools.

We work in 48 school districts.

- Wow.

- We work with the county.

- Sure.

- We work with (pauses) law enforcement agencies.

- Right.

- We work with hospitals.

- Sure.

- Just virtually most anybody in the Inland Empire.

And, we're growing.

As more people find out about us- - Right.

- we're growing.

- Tell me about how COVID affected you all?

- We didn't close.

We were able to do our Christmas distribution in the parking lot at the Orange Show.

- Right.

- So, here logistically, it was very, very tough because we couldn't allow the parents to come to shop for their children.

Logistically, it was very, very, very tough because there were a million bags in the parking lot and, you know, trying to sort 'em, and find the right bags for the right car was very tough.

But, we made it and we only had one complaint.

- Right.

Wow.

That's pretty good.

- Yeah, really!

(both laugh) - We've established that Santa Claus, Inc. does stuff all year long.

- Right.

- And so-?

But, tell us about Christmas in terms of, you know, do people get in contact with you at a certain time?

How far ahead of time if they want toys for their family or those types of things?

Toys for their groups, and how does that whole thing go?

Because, I'm sure that's a busy time!

- San Bernardino City Unified School District set up an online application process for us.

We had done-- Up until last year, we had done everything on paper.

- Wow.

- Everything.

- Oh, wow.

- Working with welfare- - Sure.

- and the school districts.

- Yeah.

- Huge, huge job.

- Right.

- So, they set up the online application process.

And so, the parents just are sent to the schools.

They get a QR code - Okay.

- And, they apply online.

- Okay, wow.

- So, that's made everything a lot easier.

- Sure.

- So, we will serve maybe 15,000 kids whose parents will come and shop through the warehouse.

- [Joe] Right.

Wow.

- Then, on the other side of the coin is the year-round Christmas distribution.

That's the mass distribution to organizations for their Christmas distributions.

- Right.

- So, if you go to a lot of the Christmas events, Christmas parties, you're likely gonna see the product came from Santa Claus, Inc. - So, everybody loves a winner.

And, sometimes I guess you found out- that we all find out- that there's more help for what you're trying to do than you thought.

And so, we were talking off camera about you are getting-- So, you get your product-?

Your product is donated!

- Well, yes.

I would-?

Basically!

- Right.

- We have two major partners.

- Okay.

(pauses) - One is in New York City.

It's called Delivering Good.

And, I pay them $10,000 a year- - Wow.

- as an admin fee.

And, for that $10,000 I receive truckloads of product worth millions of dollars.

- [Joe] Oh, my God.

- [Karen] And, they really love us, and they just keep sending more and more.

And, I have to tell you a funny story!

- [Joe] Yeah, do it!

- [Karen] I asked for Hanes children's underwear.

And, I asked for two truckloads.

Well?

Hanes, I found out, is local.

It's somewhere in this area.

So, I ended up with eight semi loads of underwear; over a million pairs of children's underwear!

- [Joe] My God.

- Our entire parking lot was full.

We'd get to work in the morning and there would be another semi, and we couldn't get 'em to stop!

(Joe laughs) They tried to get 'em to stop in New York, and I tried, and-?

- Right!

- Finally, we just had to lock our gates and not let a truck-- anymore truckers-- - Oh, wow!

(laughs) - [Karen] So, yeah!

(laughter) - [Joe] What do folks tell you?

I'm sure from time to time, you talk to maybe it's the head of one of the companies that's providing product or whatever else.

What did they tell you about why they're, say, so enthusiastically, jump on board?

- Well, I think that a big part of it is the partnerships that we've built.

- Right.

- Even though they're big, I've gotten to know them.

We've become friends.

- Right.

- So when things come up, they think of us.

- Right.

- And, Delivering Good does that.

We also have Good360.

- Mm hm!

- That's a different scenario.

Through Good360, I work with all the big companies like Amazon, and Walmart, and-- - Sure.

- You name it.

- Carter's children's wear.

So, I can buy truckloads- - [Joe] Right.

- At-?

Well?

For instance, I just bought the most expensive truckload I've ever bought.

- Right.

- And, it was $6,000.

- For a whole truckload?

- And, for $6,000 I received a semi load, a truckload, of Nikes.

- Oh, my gosh!

- So, that's 24 pallets of Nikes.

- Oh, my gosh.

- They're yet to be distributed.

- Wow!

- And, that's very expensive.

But, you know, that was expensive to get shipped, too.

- Right, sure.

- But, generally, I spend around $2,000 for a truckload of product.

- Wow.

- And, it can be children's clothing.

It can be bedding.

It can be...assorted stuff from Amazon.

- Wow.

- So, we get about four truckloads a month, a minimum of four truckloads a month.

- Right.

- And then, logistically, you have to figure out how to turn it over, get it out into the community.

- Right.

And so, you've got a place in San Bernardino.

How big is it?

- Not big enough.

- Right, right.

And so, you've got, like-?

It's a warehouse, right?

- Mm hm.

- You have some things there.

You've got some space in the back.

- Right.

- So, part of your thing is you really do have to move stuff because it's coming in so fast and there's so much of it.

You literally couldn't house it all.

- Oh, we can't.

- Right.

- We can't.

We received a truckload of Disney toys yesterday.

- Right.

- It's in the parking lot!

Don't-?

(both laugh) Don't let anybody know!

- Don't you show up at the parking lot (Karen laughs) lookin' for Disney!

- We have great security.

We learned our lesson!

(she laughs) - Right!

How do people qualify to be able to come and shop at Santa Claus, Inc.?

- Well, you know, they have to be low or extremely low-income.

- Right.

- And, they come to us through school districts and through social services.

- Okay.

- And now, that's for Christmas.

- Right.

- It's basically the same all year, although we take different types of referrals through our year-round program from hospitals.

We work with fosters.

Literally most any type of an area where-- that you can think of that children would be affected.

- How has-?

You've been a volunteer for a long time and you've been part of the organization for a long time.

At the risk of asking a broad question, which you can a answer however you want to, how have things changed over the years and how are they the same?

- Well, the obvious thing is we're not just Christmas.

- Right, sure.

- We have seven robust programs within our year-round programs.

- Okay.

- I just think the amount of product that we have access to is-?

I mean, that's crazy.

- Right.

- We used to have very little access.

We had to-- I had to budget $50,000 for clothing, $50,000 for toys.

- Right.

- Now, I don't-- they don't-- We don't really budget for those items.

Just a very small amount that we have to pay in admin fees.

- Wow.

That's amazing.

- Yeah.

So, that's a big change.

The Belongings program is working with foster children.

We work through Loma Linda Children's Hospital.

We go in by referral, special referral when a child's hospitalized, who's been taken out of their home by CPS.

- Yeah.

- And, we provide everything the child needs; everything.

Clothing, shoes, toys, activities, in huge bags that they can use.

They're like big backpacks.

- Right, okay.

- That they can have for their own.

We provide for the kids at the Renaissance program at Cal State San Bernardino as they enter as freshmen.

- Right.

- And, we help them.

We furnish their dorm rooms.

We provide everything they need.

As a matter of fact, we have big baskets that each kid gets with everything that they need from hygiene to cleaning stuff, lamps, you name it.

I think working with foster kids is really important for us.

- Sure.

- We're really big on books and literacy.

- Sure.

- We make sure all kids have new books.

We love going into classrooms, and we'll give out a book to, say, K through 3, and it'll be Who Stole My Ice Cream?, or something like that.

- Right.

- And then, they'll get-- have a ice cream party.

- Mm hm.

- And, that's fun.

We love it when we can interact with the kids because we don't always get to.

- Yeah, yeah... - We adopt the poorest schools in both counties.

- Sure.

- Because of our organization, the school districts are able to do very special events.

We donated a truckload of Lego sets.

- Hmm!

- Some worth as much as $750.

- Oh, my God.

- Huge Lego sets to all of the different school districts, and they-?

Well?

This is one instance.

Riverside County Schools did a big Lego event at Cal State San Bernardino, and it was for special needs kids.

And, kids-- volunteers came in and worked with the kids, and they built Legos.

And, we gave away a truckload of American Girl dolls just recently.

And, those went out to everyone and they planned Valentine's parties and tea parties for the little girls, and gave those out.

So, that's the kind of things that we love to do.

- What is the hardest thing day to day about what your organization does?

- I think the logistics, literally, of bringing in product and getting it inventoried, and getting it back out.

We work with about 70 other nonprofits.

- [Joe] Oh, okay.

- [Karen] That we know their needs.

- Yeah.

- So, we just got finished with four semi loads of bedding and towels from Walmart, the Pioneer Woman brand.

- Wow.

- So, you know, it takes a lot of work- - Sure.

- from our volunteers to be able to plan out how that's gonna happen.

- Right.

- Because, we literally have trucks coming/going all the time to pick up stuff.

- Wow.

- So, yes.

I think that's the toughest thing.

- But, what's interesting about that is that if somebody's in the warehouse, this is not a volunteer gig where you get to sit like you and I are sittin'!

They're at a desk and handin' somethin' to somebody.

They don't have to get up.

I mean, these guys are scrambling and you've got a lot of retirees.

- [Karen] Yeah.

- [Joe] You know, folks that have been around for a while, you know?

Et cetera.

And it's really hard work, isn't it?

- [Karen] Really hard work.

- [Joe] Right, right.

- It's amazing what they do.

We have to stop some of them.

You know?

- Right, sure.

- Margaret is 80.

She still tries to lift boxes of books!

- Oh!

Margaret, Margaret.

Don't!

- Yeah.

- Don't!

- And, you know?

We have to-?

We really do have to watch over 'em because they are so into it.

- Right.

- It's what they do.

It's what keeps them young.

- Right, right, right.

Wow!

- And, they take ownership.

Believe me!

- Right!

(both laugh) So, speakin' of volunteers, let's take a look at some of the volunteers at Santa Claus, Inc.

This is a massive volunteer organization and operation.

Check these out.

[light upbeat music] ♪ - My name is Barbara Kitay and I work in the "Yes!

Department" at Santa Claus Warehouse.

I have been doing it about eight years.

There's a lot of reasons, but I think the biggest reason is there's just such a need.

There's just so many people and so many children that we need to help.

It means a lot of things to me.

It means that children that might not have a birthday or might not have a Christmas, we help them get that.

And, we see a lot of smiles on children's faces and parents' faces, because they can't always do for their children, you know?

But, we also, in the "Yes!

program" supply that type of thing all year-round.

We want to come to help.

And, we come every week.

We're here every week.

It's just something that we feel is necessary.

And, we want to do that for the community.

We give them clothing.

We give them birthday gifts for their children, Christmas gifts for their children.

We give them all kinds of cleaning products that they probably can't have in their homes.

And, we give them a feeling of being important.

We have cargo containers.

I can't even tell you how many we have now at this point because we have so many.

We keep adding because we're so grateful that people donate to us and even businesses donate to us.

And then, we also have, like, different departments that have to have their certain areas that they take care of.

And so, we have a department for clothing.

We have the department for the "Yes!

program."

We have a department also for toys.

We have a department for hygiene.

It's very rewarding.

It's something that when you leave here, you just feel like you've done something so great every week.

- I'm Mary, and I'm the sewing department.

I've been here for 15 years or more.

It's not only sewing; it's packing, and helping with the homeless.

If Santa Claus weren't here, it would be a tragedy because it fills a need that's not filled elsewhere.

This is a sample of some of the things that we make.

We make quilts.

We make clothing.

The clothing department will ask us, in this case, they needed 72 T-shirts.

And so, we will make 72 T-shirts.

We've made Belongings bags that are given to children coming out of Loma Linda Hospital that are-?

- [Woman off-camera] Abused.

- Have been abused.

This is their Belongings bags.

Receiving blankets, hats, teddy bears.

My favorite thing about working for Santa Claus is the people.

It's a team of-- a huge team of wonderful, wonderful people who all have the same purpose.

[light upbeat music] ♪ - [Joe] So, was there-?

I mean, you've been around that organization for a long time.

Was there a particular moment that just made you go all in?

Like, an "aha moment" with that mission?

You know?

With the mission of this place, being a part of it, and wherever it actually went.

But, why do you do-?

I mean, this is unusual!

I don't come across a lot of people (Karen laughs) (she coughs) that have been at their organization for a volun-- as a volunteer for 27 years, and then they become the executive director!

(she laughs) No, this is different!

Is there a moment that just locks you into this place?

I mean, why do you do it?

It's incredible!

- [Karen] Well?

(chuckles) I've always had a heart for volunteering since I was a little kid.

And, I was in Brownies!

(she laughs) - Right, sure.

- My mom used to take me on Saturdays when I was a teenager and drop me off at the convalescent homes, and I would go around and just sit and talk to the residents.

- Really?

- And then, I went through all the Rainbow Girls, and all of the, you know, the service organizations.

Then, my daughters and I were-- got into National Charity League and we got very involved.

And, that's how I started volunteering for Santa Claus because they're one of their philanthropies, and still are today.

- Gotcha.

- So, We made layettes, and I-?

Probably, my "aha moment"?

I took some layettes into the warehouse and one of the vice presidents was there.

And, I guess she knew me.

I don't know.

Yeah.

- She said, "We are "looking.

We can't find anyone to do our fundraising event, Christmas Tree Lane", which is a huge, huge event.

- Right, sure.

- It's the biggest event of the year.

- Right.

- Next to Loma Linda Children's Hospital.

- Right.

- I'd never been to the event.

And, I said, "Oh, I'll do it."

So, there I was!

(both laugh) I jumped right in, and we had a beautiful, successful fundraiser.

I did that for about four years.

- Right.

- I think-- Then, I got onto the board.

(sighs) Other than-?

It's just been a natural progression for me.

I can't think of-?

I didn't understand when they asked me to change from being president to being executive director because I didn't really know.

I thought, "Oh, that's no big deal".

- Right.

- Didn't realize the responsibility that came with it!

(both laugh) Like, raising money?

- Right, right!

For sure.

- You know?

But, what keeps me there is the love of the-- the love that's there.

The volunteers and the people that we work with.

- Right.

- We're a family.

- Right, right.

So, wow!

This is great.

How do people get more information about Santa Claus, Inc.?

- They can go to santaclausinc.org They can go onto our social media: @santaclaus inc underscore Inc, for Instagram and Santa Claus Incorporated, on Facebook.

- Yeah.

- We do a lot.

We post a lot on social media.

- [Joe] That's good.

(she pauses) - Probably our website is the best way to read our story.

- Right.

- I encourage anybody to come and take a tour, though.

- Sure, okay.

- Because you really can't believe it unless you see it, and I think anybody here that has been there would tell you the same thing.

You've gotta see it.

- What gets you through-?

Last question-ish!

What gets you through tough times?

You know, and whether it's a personal tough time or maybe it's a moment of sadness when you see someone come in that's in a particular situation, and that type of thing.

How do you-?

How do you keep it goin'?

And, how do you stay encouraged?

- [Karen] Pray.

- [Joe] Yeah.

- Pray.

- Yeah, alright.

- You know, and sometimes we cry.

- Yeah.

- You know?

We see some sad-- Especially certain referrals where children have been hurt.

- Right.

- Sad stories.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- But, we have wonderful spiritual advisors.

- Yes, yes.

- And, I can call at any time.

And, one of our board members who you know very well will walk me through.

- Oh, sure.

Oh, great.

Yeah.

Great.

- And, that's kept me going a lot of times!

- Yeah, yeah.

That's amazing.

So, Karen?

This has been great!

This has felt like home, I had to tell you.

So, thank you so much for coming on, and thank you for what you and Santa Claus, Inc. do for so many people in this community.

We really appreciate it.

- Thank you.

- Well?

Once again, another fantastic organization changing lives in the Inland Empire.

Keep joining us.

The invitation is open.

Let's continue showing how great this community is with these wonderful organizations one conversation at a time.

Until then, Joe Richardson on "Inland Edition", signin' off.

[uplifting music and vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ [softer music and vocals] ♪ ♪ ♪ [music fades]