Santa Fe County is nearing the deadline for its Joshua Tree Project holiday gift program.---
As of Dec. 11, staff will have bought presents for every kid living in its affordable housing sites, as it has done for at least the past five years, county spokeswoman Kristine Mihelcic says.
County staff picks paper ornaments off a tree stationed in the ground floor of the county administrative building that give each child's age and relevant details. So far the program has always been limited to county staff, because they have always stepped up to plate for each kid in affordable housing, Mihelcic says.
"It is actually pretty amazing that every year there are over 200 tags for children and there has never been a tag that was not picked up," Mihelcic writes in an email.
The week of Dec. 12-18, there are parties held at the various housing sites where kids can claim their gifts. The money for food and drinks comes from community funds designated for each site and from additional staff donations.
