InTucker Magazine

Ask Rip – November 2021

Rip Robertson is the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Tucker. He brings to the job years of experience in Parks and Rec, as well as Public Works. Rip is a former Military Intelligence Analyst for the U.S. Army and is active with the Army Reserve.

Tucker Parks and Recreation is proud to partner with the Empty Stocking Fund for the 2021 holiday season. Not familiar with the organization? In 1927, the Empty Stocking Fund was created by a small group of employees of The Atlanta Georgian, the predecessor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Through relationships with wholesale distributors and in-kind donations from trusted corporations, the Empty Stocking Fund acquires new items in quantities sufficient to offer a variety of age- and gender-appropriate holiday gift choices and essential school supplies.

Those families that qualify for benefits through the State of Georgia are invited to register and shop for gifts through this program. In December, qualified families are invited to shop for gifts and supplies for their children (birth to 12 years old).  

This program is unique in that they allow parents to choose (shop) for toys and gifts they want for their children. The gifts are prepared and packaged for giving at the family’s chosen time and place. For decades, parents were invited to come to Santa’s Village, a toy and gift store, to shop for their children’s gifts. 

To protect our staff, volunteers, and especially the families during the holidays, Santa’s Village has gone digital! Now parents can register their children, upload proof of benefits and shop online from any web-enabled device. Orders will be packed at ESF’s warehouse facility in southeast Atlanta and parents may choose a convenient location for pick up, whether it’s at the ESF facility or one of the distribution partner events.

The City of Tucker has been chosen as a distribution site for the Empty Stocking Fund. Parents can choose to pick up their holiday packages at the Tucker Recreation Center on December 5, 7 or 9. If you are a family in need of support, or would like to volunteer to distribute gifts at the Recreation Center, please register on our webpage at: tuckerga.gov/esf.