Kevin's Kids Holiday Drive Kicks Off In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — With Thanksgiving two weeks away and Christmas not far behind, the 43rd annual Kevin's Kids Secret Santa holiday drive is underway in Manchester.

Kevin's Kids, which is organized and managed through the Manchester Township School District, works with district families to fulfill specific holiday wish lists "one household at a time," the district said. "This deeply personal approach ensures that every gift given truly meets a child's or family's needs and wishes."

The effort got its start in 1983, after a Whiting Elementary School teacher told then-Whiting principal Kevin Burger that a young student told her Santa Claus had never come to his home. Burger and the teacher worked with the staff at Whiting to make Christmas happen for that child, and a lasting tradition was born.

Kevin’s Kids has grown into a districtwide effort that now helps more than 400 children and 200 Manchester families each holiday season.

Over the years, Kevin’s Kids has made a life-changing impact, the district says. Some children have received items that opened doors to their futures, from the student who got their first computer and later attended MIT, to another who received driving lessons to gain independence. Others have asked for practical items like work boots or bicycles to get to after-school jobs.

Every year each child receives a warm winter coat, "a simple but powerful symbol of care and community," the district said.

The drive is a community effort, from the donations to shopping for the wish lists to getting the gifts to the families. Buildings and Grounds employees assemble toys and bicycles, and the district's bus drivers transport the gifts.

Senior communities, local businesses, and township departments host donation boxes and collection drives. In the final days before distribution, staff members and their families gather to wrap and prepare every gift with care before they’re anonymously delivered to families.

"Kevin’s Kids is proof that Manchester isn’t just a school district. We are a family," said Alex George, director of Student Personnel Services, who now oversees the drive.

Those who want to contribute to the Kevin's Kids drive can do so in a number of ways:

Gift cards and monetary donations can be dropped off in collection boxes at participating businesses around Manchester (see the list below).

Gift cards and monetary donations, along with donations of wrapping paper, can be dropped off at Manchester Township Middle School, 2579 Ridgeway Road.

All donations are requested by Wednesday, Dec. 10, the district said.

Manchester Businesses Hosting Kevin’s Kids Donation Boxes:

• Atlantic Physical Therapy Manchester
• Crossroads-Manchester (2002 Route 70)
• Crossroads-Whiting (Route 530 Whiting)
• Dollar General Whiting (across from the firehouse)
• Heritage Restaurant
• IMPAC
• Jimmy C's Barber Shop
• Manchester Library*
• Ocean First Bank - Whiting
• Oliverie Funeral Home
• Quick Chek-Manchester
• Shoprite of Manchester
• Silverwoods Adult Community
• Whiting Library
• Whiting Station Club House
• Whiting Stop & Shop
• Leisure Ridge
• LESTER GLENN SUBARU of Toms River
• Manchester Pines
• Kohesion Dance Center
• Evermore Dream Center (The Barn)