PRograms

Our most widely anticipated event is the annual Santa Soul Train project, which spans 3 days in December and brings together the wider community – fostering solidarity, connections and community spirit. 

Imagine being a child and seeing Santas riding bikes, carrying their overstuffed sacks full of Christmas stockings and Christmas cards while belting out their jolly “ho ho hos” as they rolled into your community. The faces of the children and their parents light up when they see the Santas coming down the street. This holiday scene plays out in several cities throughout the disaster areas.

The event culminates with a few Christmas parties serving over 500 residents in Minamisanriku, Ishinomaki, Kesennuma and Fukushima. some, complete with dinner, entertainment, Santa and the surprise santa  stocking exchange  for the children.

This year, due to the pandemic, we will remove the in person events from the Santa Soul Train, but we are still committed to providing smiles and goodies this holiday season to children across the Tohoku region. To connect and inspire them. Remind them they are not alone and that their journey is valuable. Our goal is to exchange the Christmas cards also deliver stockings to 2000 children across Japan. 

In order to provide these moments for children to feel like they are contributing, like they are strong, that they are not alone, we  humbly ask the people in the communities that we live in to help us. 

Make a contribution to Place to Grow and enable thousands of children the opportunity to feel part of a bigger, connected and inspiring community.  Each stocking costs 3000¥ to fill and we hope that you will consider supporting Santa Soul Train by sponsoring one, two, five or more stockings this year.