Jersey Mike’s Subs and Help The Children have partnered up to collect baby items to give to local families in need this holiday season.

“Jersey Mike’s contacted us and said they really wanted to help us out here at Help The Children,”said Rebeccas Fisher and Dee Boudreaux, fundraising and marketing volunteers for Help The Children. “They have been donating 50 sandwiches a week for our distribution nights and our clients are thrilled to be able to have fresh made sandwiches.”

Santa made an appearance, taking pictures with children and families.

“There’s also this event here where people can come and make a donation of baby items such as food, formula, anything really that babies need,” said Fisher and Boudreaux. “Jersey Mike’s is offering pictures with Santa and a raffle for three months of free subs.

“We’re just blown away by their generosity,” said Fisher and Boudreaux. “We have met all of the managers and the owner. They are just so generous and excited to help the community here.”

Jersey Mike’s is celebrating the culmination of their Mini-Mike Drive at the Golden Valley location where they collect clean, gently used baby and infant clothes and toys.

Related Article: Jersey Mike’s Collects Infant Clothes, Toys For Help The Children

“We started talking with Help The Children in October about doing a partnership for the holidays, said Sandberg “Steve [the owner of several Jersey Mike’s stores] was really excited about the idea of baby and infant item donations.”

Jersey Mike’s wanted to focus on the kids and decided that having Santa come to the store and meet the kids was the best way to do so, according to Sandberg.

“We’ve already had thousands of people come today. People are bringing clothes, food and cribs for the babies,” said Sandberg.

“I’ve wanted to do something at Christmas time for quite a few years now,” said Steve Youlios, owner of several Jersey Mike’s in the Santa Clarita Valley. “I just haven’t found the right opportunity, not that there is anything wrong with it, but I didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing like Toys for Tots, because they have been so successful.

“The more I got to know the Help The Children organization, the more respect I had for them and for eat they do and the way they operate their business because they do run on such a low overhead,” Youlios said. ”They also keep everything here in the community and it touched my heart that there were so many people here that cared so much for others. I’m really happy about this and hope to continue collecting items for help the children throughout the year and its so nice to do something that keeps it in the community.”

Jersey Mike’s also is a big sponsor of the WISH organization.

“Schools cannot, as a school, fundraise so that’s what the WISH foundation is for. The ASBs at the schools go out and sell wish cards for $20 and are worth $25.  $10 from that stays with the school, $5 goes to the WISH foundation, i.e. the school district,” said Youlios. “Last year we raised $10,000 for the district.  The current program is raising boks for the libraries.”  

“We like doing things to help the community,” Youlios said. “We’re so blessed to have so much, doing things like this for the community is a responsibility as a person and as a company.”

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