Sunday, December 9 Holiday Spotlight is on the Empty Stocking Fund.

For more info visit: http://www.emptystockingfund.org/

Since its founding in 1927 by the Atlanta Journal, the Empty Stocking Fund has been making sure that Santa Claus comes to the homes of Atlanta's families in greatest financial need.

The Empty Stocking Fund will provide a Christmas, Hannukah or Kwanza holiday gift package of four toys, a book and a pair of clean socks to more than 50,000 children across five metro Atlanta counties this year between birth and age 12.

The age appropriate toys are purchased in bulk, at wholesale and from merchandise liquidators' after each holiday season for the following year.  This allows the ESF to stretch each donor dollar further, typically purchasing $4 worth of retail toy price for every $1 in cash proceeds.

Through the week prior to Christmas, the ESF operates a Santa Village off Metropolitan Parkway where eligible parents comes to shop, free of charge, for their families.  The building, donated for use by Cox Enterprises, is on MARTA.

In addition to donor envelopes in two AJC Sunday papers, a growing number of corporations are adopting recipient children sponsoring individual gift packages for $25 per child.  A major drive day also occurs during the holidays with primary artery intersections manned by the Junior ROTC collecting cash donations for the Empty Stocking Fund.