SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS 

​​SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS   -   6TH BRIGADE, TEXAS DIVISION​

HOOD'S TEXAS BRIGADE, CAMP #153

"The enemy never sees the backs of my Texans!"

-General Robert E. Lee: The Battle of the Wilderness, 1864

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

​2 Corinthians 9:7 

Our Camp's event is listed as an approved drop-off location for new, unraped toys. Every year, Hood's Texas Brigade along with the Lone Star Grey's, Camp 1953, and TSOCR Alamo Rose, Chapter #4 collect just about every toy on a family's wish list based on the hundreds of donations we collect and have always fulfilled a family's wish that a child asks for! The best stores to shop at are Burlington, Ross, Rico's, Wal*Mart, Sam's Club, Target, and ToysR'Us at Macy's.

Toy Donation Criteria: 
🎁 Toys must be unwrapped and in their original packing, preferably with the price tags removed. Baby and toddler toys are also acceptable!
🎁Unpackaged toys will not be accepted.
🎁 Please no Nerf Guns or Toy weapons of any kind.

Thursday - December 12, 2024

6:00 PM - 8:30PM

The Story of Blue Santa

As night fell on Christmas Eve 1976, San Antonio police officer, Tom Preston and his fellow officers began what would become another warm tradition of giving in our city. Preston knew of several families who could not afford toys under their tree. That is if they had a tree at all. ith their own money, they purchased and distributed toys to underprivileged boys and girls who would not soon forget the day a police officer became their personal Santa. Years later, as the project drew the interest of more and more officers, someone suggested that Preston dress up as Santa himself. A navy outfit was tailored and San Antonio’s Blue Santa was born!

It didn’t take long for the department and city to sanction Blue Santa as an official yearly program and today, the SAPD Blue Santa Program serves as many as 8,000 needy families a year in the San Antonio area. What has become a massive “labor of love” does not happen overnight. As you read this, many corporate citizens are generously donating their resources to ensure another successful season of giving. Socially responsible companies like Bill Miller Restaurants and Port San Antonio provide much-needed warehouse facilities. Toys are collected year-round, then transported in PODS (also, donated) to be wrapped and distributed its a coordinated effort with other projects, like Elf Louise, to prevent duplication.

In the early days, only a handful of families participated in the program; now, companies, large and small, hold fundraisers that bring in tens of thousands of dollars every year, allowing thousands of families to benefit from our generous community. What began as a small wave of compassion by Officer Preston and his buddies over 41 years ago, has become an ocean of giving that has brought smiles to countless children and is a source of heartfelt goodwill from San Antonio’s men and women in blue. For all involved, it’s the color of Christmas.