Takeia McAlister helps organize the Holiday Gift Collection at St. Luke's LifeWorks in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Jim Gerweck

Some of the thousands of donated gifts are organized for distribution.

Photo Credit: Jim Gerweck

Takeia McAlister has been heading the St. Luke's LifewWorks gift drive for five years.

Photo Credit: Jim Gerweck

Volunteers wrap more than 5,000 gifts over the course of two December Saturdays.

Photo Credit: Jim Gerweck

STAMFORD, Conn. – The true location of Santa's workshop is a matter of conjecture, but for at least two December weekends it seems to be located in downtown Stamford. At St. Luke's LifeWorks, an army of volunteer "elves" receives, wraps, catalogs and distributes gifts to thousands of children from needy families who might otherwise not receive anything during the holiday season.

Spearheading this effort is Takeia McAlister, manager of the Holiday Gift Collection, which is in its 22nd year. "I wanted to be an actress growing up, but this job utilizes all my talents, for a great cause," she said during a gift-wrapping party the week before Christmas.

Indeed, McAlister is as much motivator and cheerleader as manager, frequently grabbing the microphone to exhort the volunteers who transform donated toys into gifts that will brighten what might otherwise be a dreary holiday.

The gift collection serves 34 agencies throughout Fairfield County, which collect gift requests from 2,750 children. The goal is to provide each child with two gifts. "It was a struggle to get 5,500 gifts, but we made it," said McAlister, who has been working with the campaign five years. "When it started, there were 30 families on the list," she continued. "When I took over there were 1,000, and it continues to grow."

Two wrapping parties are held in mid-December, and although the operation looks like controlled chaos, McAlister keeps it together, sending someone out to purchase more paper while directing mail bins full of wrapped presents to an unused pool where they are put into piles for delivery. "Even though most of the gifts are donated, we sometimes have to buy some," she said. "We don't want anyone to go empty-handed." In addition, there are costs such as transportation, which are covered by sponsors and donors.

When it's all finished, nearly 3,000 children will have a holiday many of them couldn't expect or afford. It's an operation that Santa himself would be proud of.