Sunday, December 04, 2011
(photo: Reading Eagle)
The poorest city in America got some mysterious holiday cheer this week.
An unidentified man known only as the Secret Santa traveled around Reading, Pennsylvania, handing out $100 bills to people in need. From the bus terminal to the local Salvation Army store, Secret Santa in his signature Elf hat gave away about $20,000 in a city that was recently ranked as the poorest in the country, based on the fact that more than 40% of its residents live below the poverty line.
“Cities like Reading are experiencing tough economic times,” Secret Santa told the Reading Eagle. “It’s time for us to step up, not step back.”
Identified only as a businessman who travels a lot, Secret Santa reportedly is continuing a tradition begun in Kansas City, Kansas, by the late Larry Stewart, a millionaire cable television magnate who gave away $1.3 million over 25 years before he died in 2006.
Secret Santa said he and his “elves” (including NFL legend Dick Butkus and comedian Larry the Cable Guy) will visit other cities across the country in the coming weeks to help others struggling to get by.
–Noel Brinkerhoff
Secret Santa Spreads Hope, Cheer and $100 Bills (by Ron Devlin, Reading Eagle)
Reading, Pennsylvania, Leads Nation’s Cities in Poverty Rate (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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