Boston Marathon charity runners race to find donors

- The $4,000 BAA minimum for charity runners is $750 higher than last year, and the tens of thousands of fund-raising “athons” nationwide mean donors can suffer fatigue.

Pine Street Inn goes into corporate catering

- Like other nonprofits, the shelter in Boston has turned to the world of corporate catering as a way to help pay for job training programs.

Charitable giving goes high tech

- Online giving has risen sharply in recent years, and a handful of social enterprise startups and local tech companies are trying to tap into that increase in online altruism.

Toys for Tots overwhelmed by donations, but gifts for teens needed 

- Two weeks ago, officials at the Greater Boston Toys for Tots did not think they could meet this year’s demand for toys. But after they appealed to the public for help, donations poured in.

Postal Santa tries to deliver on letter requests

- Operation Santa is a project of the USPS to connect families in need with families who want to help. This year, the Boston office received 1,200 letters from parents in need.

Christmas comes early to children with little

- Thousands of homeless children and parents enjoyed the holiday season at yesterday’s 23d annual Christmas in the City celebration.

GLOBE SANTA

Improv Asylum to host all-star benefit

- The Asylum’s “No Rest for the Wicked Funny,” the comedy club’s annual event to benefit Globe Santa, starts Friday at 8 p.m. and continues, nonstop, until 8 p.m. Saturday.

Salvation Army kettle donations down 22%

- The Massachusetts division of The Salvation Army has collected less than $1.2 million, well short of the $3.4 million it collected in 2010.

GLOBE SANTA

Mother of 4 special-needs children wants gifts for them

- Having just one child with special needs is a challenge. But that challenge is multiplied four times for one South Shore mother who has sent a written appeal to Globe Santa asking his help in providing gifts for her children this Christmas.

GLOBE SANTA

Mother seeks cheer for her 2 daughters

- With so many people struggling to find a job, a single mother of two young girls is happy to have worked at the same position for the last few years.