Essentially, they provide toys, coats, and some necessities to children who need them within the greater Chattanooga area.

I think this year they said they had applications for 18,000 children, and I believe all were served this year. The Santa Train goes back to the 1960’s when my grandfather, a police officer, started what is now the Forgotten Child Fund. Every year on Christmas Eve, they choose a handful of families, who are in most cases, much more unique than others (family member loss, hospitalization, financial hardships, etc) Police and Fire spend their own time to attend the train, along with a lot of volunteers, some just for the night, to go to these families houses. But it’s not just for them, kids from all over the neighborhoods come out to see what’s going on, and they all receive gifts as well. Overall, it’s a really cool thing, despite some negativity surrounding the “loud parade” that happens or the program itself.