TAMPA, Fla. — A South St. Petersburg woman has turned her love of shopping into shopping for a cause. That cause is making Christmas special for neighborhood children.

“Hello. How are you today? Welcome to Santa’s workshop,” said Lolita Dash-Pitts as she welcomed a photographer into her home. It was filled with boxes of shoes, books, toys and clothes in nearly every room.

For the past ten years, Dash-Pitts has been giving Christmas presents to children as part of the Front Porch Community Development Association. She is the executive director. She says she spends thousands of dollars of her own money on the annual project.

“This stuff is all brand new. There is no hand-me-downs,” she said as she showed off some of the items. “There is nothing used. This is all brand new stuff.”

“All right Laura. This is number sixteen. The child is four months old and it’s a female,” said Dash-Pitts as she worked with friend and volunteer Laura Zorn on her super organized list of children to get gifts for. The parents fill out an application each year to be part of the program.

“I’m basically a Santa Claus. What they call incognito,” said Dash-Pitts. She said she spends countless hours doing all the shopping to buy the gifts. But she loves it. “I do it with a passion,” she said. “I can do it all day and don’t hesitate about what time it is, how much I’m spending or anything. I love it. I just love shopping. That’s my second nature.”

Dash-Pitts couldn’t do the gift giving last year because she was recovering from heart valve surgery. She is grateful she can do it this year. “You know God wants us to be giving and loving to mankind and others. And this is my way of doing it and appreciating that he provided me with life.”

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