A family takes a photo with Santa Claus dressed in blue during the 2020 Blue Santa event in Tyler. During Blue Santa, first responders and police officers are teamed up with families, and provide each child with a $100 gift card to buy whatever they want for Christmas.

For two hours Tuesday evening, purchases at 12 Tyler Whataburger locations will help kids in need this Christmas season as 50% goes toward the Tyler Patrolman’s Association’s annual Blue Santa shopping event.

The fundraiser, “Oh! What-A-Night,” will be 5 to 7 p.m. at Whataburgers in Tyler to fund the annual shopping spree at Walmart for kids chosen to participate by local law enforcement officers.

Blue Santa began in 2007 in Tyler, and the program has continued to build relationships between kids and law enforcement in East Texas.

Tyler Blue Santa organizer Chuck Boyce, an officer with the Tyler Police Department, said officers and first responders will be hanging out to have fun for a good cause.

“It’s a blast. We got folks from everywhere,” Boyce said. “I got everybody coming to hang out at all 12 locations. We just hang out and fellowship. It’s almost like a Hallmark moment, like something you’d see on the Hallmark Channel.”

He said the fundraiser is a win-win because it’s a good time, and the event helps kids out.

“For every $20 you spend, $10 of it goes to Blue Santa to sponsor a kid,” he said.

He said Whataburger has been hosting the fundraiser for a couple of years, and Boyce is grateful for the company’s support.

“That’s extremely generous — 50% of gross sales,” he said. “It takes a lot of expenses to sell those burgers and then to turn around and give us the sale — wow, that’s just awesome.”

The 12 Whataburgers will each be staffed with several first responders, such as police officers, constables, animal control and Flight for Life crews.

“It’s kind of an all-star cast,” Boyce said.

Locations include:

• 1739 S. Beckham Ave. with special guest McGruff the Crime Dog
• 6288 N. U.S. 271, 5916 Old Jacksonville Highway with Boyce, a Flight for Life representative and others
• 12445 Texas 64 East in Chapel Hill with the Smith County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office
• 2215 W. Gentry Parkway in Tyler
• 12405 Texas 155 South in Tyler
• 6849 S. Broadway Ave. in Tyler
• 1717 SSE Loop 323 in Tyler
• 5003 Troup Highway in Tyler with the friendly neighborhood thief Tyler Police public information officer Andy Erbaugh

345 SSW Loop 323 in Tyler

• 137 W SW Loop 323 in Tyler
• 12405 Texas 155 South in Flint/Gresham with the Pct. 2 Constable’s Office

The Blue Santa shopping sprees, where every child receives $100 to purchase gifts, will be on Dec. 7 at Walmart, 5050 Troup Highway in Tyler, and on Dec. 9 at 450 S SE Loop 323. The events are set for 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Boyce said the need is great this year as the list of kids’ names grew from 600 to 800 within the year. They have a goal of providing shopping sprees to 300 kids this year.

“We want to break 300 this year. We had probably 275 last year. We went from 600 names to 800 names,” Boyce said. “That’s a lot of need, and we’re just trying to put a dent in it and help as many kids as we can. It’s about all of us coming together as one to help our little neighborhood out. You’re going to have all kinds of first responders coming together to help some of the kids we encounter on a daily basis.”

He added sometimes officers break into their own money if the kids happen to go over their $100.