Be An Elf is a tax-exempt charity founded by a volunteer, Elf Patrick. The site supports USPS Operation Santa ® by recruiting hundreds of new volunteers every year, encouraging media to cover the story, and by providing those seeking assistance with tips for more effective letter writing. Be An Elf is not affiliated with the USPS® but supports the program by offering an excellent guide to it — both to new volunteers and to those seeking assistance. The group gets a major in-kind grant from Google in the form of free advertising.

Parents who are worried there won’t be enough gifts for their children this year will find great tips at BeAnElf.org/writing-to-Santa.

New volunteers who want to learn how to send gifts to kids should visit the home page of BeAnElf.org and just click on How to be an Elf.

“Some Operation Santa volunteers feel alone and sad over the holidays, and find comfort and inspiration volunteering for this program. They catch the true spirit of the holidays and put smiles on the faces of needy kids on Christmas morning,” says Be An Elf’s Patrick Reynolds.

Reynolds appears in CNBC interview on Be An Elf home page. He’s a grandson of tobacco company founder RJ Reynolds, but became a smoke-free advocate after his father, RJ Reynolds, Jr., died from smoking. Patrick received the Lifetime Achievement award in 2015 from President Obama for his work against Big Tobacco; his bio is at Tobaccofree.org/bio/.