CLAY COUNTY – #904SecretSanta returned to Northeast Florida on Tuesday, delighting unsuspecting citizens who received a total of $50,000 in individual gift cards. Acting on behalf of two anonymous donors who work through The Community Foundation, law enforcement made 500 surprised citizens in Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties very happy with much-appreciated holiday spending money in the form of $100 VISA gift cards.

Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office was out in force Tuesday looking for who’s been naughty and nice, and they gave away 100 cards who anyone they found doing something nice.

Sheriff Michelle Cook led a patrol of deputies who scoured the county, from Keystone Heights and Clay Hill to Oakleaf and Argyle – and everything in between – for deserving recipients.

“It was tremendously successful,” said sheriff deputy Andrew Ford, who served as point man for Clay County. “It’s hard to describe the look of joy on the faces when you hand them a card. For some, it gave them a chance to get that extra gift this year or to have Christmas dinner.”

#904SecretSanta started in 2015 when the two donors approached The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida through their professional advisor, and a Donor Advised fund was established at The Community Foundation to carry out their wishes. Since beginning the effort in 2015, this pair of donors has distributed a total of $300,000 across three counties during the holidays.

TD Bank handles the transfer of the Donor Advised Fund’s gift of $50,000 into 500 preapproved VISA gift cards for distribution. TD Bank offered to waive the fees normally associated with purchasing gift cards so that the full value of the donors’ gifts can go directly to the recipients.