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The Santa Train is in danger of derailing.
Every Christmas Eve, the Santa Train rolls through Chattanooga streets -- sirens blazing and horns honking from police, fire and emergency services vehicles -- to deliver toys to the area's neediest children.
But this year, the organization behind the Santa Train, the Forgotten Child Fund, has fallen on hard times, officials said.
They said that with the economy sour and the cost of toys rising, the group's $72,000 yearly budget didn't go as far as usual this year.
"The same amount of money would totally fill our storage area with toys, but this year it's just a few corners," said Capt. Arles Simmons, a Chattanooga firefighter and volunteer for the fund. "So we're asking the public to help us.
"And with the economy like it is, we have a lot more people needing help," he said. "Our goal is to make sure every child in the Hamilton County area has a Christmas."
Over the next few weeks, the fund will hold several toy drives at local retailers and ask for new, unwrapped toys or cash donations, Capt. Simmons said.
Volunteers have placed more than 40 boxes across the county, mostly at fire halls and Emergency Medical Services stations, but also at all CVS pharmacies and Firehouse Sub locations.
Because of the toy shortage this year, Capt. Simmons said, the fund is networking with most of the county's fire departments and EMS stations.
The group also will hold day-long toy drives over the next two Saturdays at Sam's Club on Lee Highway. Hamilton County Sheriff's Department deputies will kick off their Caring Cops Toy Drive next week, and it will run through Dec. 18.
Last year, the Forgotten Child Fund distributed toys to 4,000 children, with about a dozen of the neediest cases selected for the Christmas Eve "Santa Train."
"If you ever want to get into the Christmas spirit, you should go on the Santa Train," said Janice Atkinson, spokeswoman for the sheriff's department. "It will absolutely break your heart to see the excitement and the joy on those kids' faces.
"The Santa Train is really the true meaning of Christmas," Ms. Atkinson said.
The Forgotten Child Fund was started in 1965 by firefighters, and today it survives on community contributions and volunteers from the county's law enforcement and rescue agencies.
Capt. Simmons said most of the children who get aid from the fund likely would go without on Christmas Day. The fund screens applicants through a United Way clearinghouse to ensure that families applying for aid are receiving holiday assistance only from the fund.
"We want to make sure they are truly needy and that they aren't double dipping," Capt. Simmons said.
Firemen
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