HOUSTON — Richard Reyes -- better known as Pancho Claus -- is facing a major health setback and needs the community's help to continue his holiday tradition.
The 73-year-old has been delivering joy and Christmas gifts to thousands of low-income children in the Houston area for more than four decades. In 2022, he expanded his gift-giving efforts to children in the Rio Grande Valley.
Editor's note: The above video originally aired in December 2023.
Reyes is currently hospitalized after suffering his third heart attack and will be getting surgery on Monday, according to his Facebook.
"You realize you’re not Santa Claus and you’re not immortal. So you have to snap back into the reality, but it is what it is. I’m 73 years old and it comes with the territory," Reyes told KHOU 11 News.
Reyes said he started feeling symptoms earlier this week. Right now is normally the time he's working with helpers to build the toy donation boxes.
"We’re pretty busy right now so it's not the greatest time for me to be down," Reyes said.
Because of this operation, Reyes worries he won't meet his goal of distributing 20,000 toys to children. He's hoping the public can step in and help him spread holiday cheer.
"It takes hundreds of people, one monkey don’t stop no show. I want my community to know they are Pancho Claus and I need them to step up to reach the goal of 20,000 gifts," he said.
Despite the health scares, and personal challenges, such as his home being flooded during Hurricane Beryl, he shares what inspires him to give toys to those in need.
"I [still] get the calls and the requests, that’s one thing. The second is the children’s smiles, that’s what you’re doing [by] helping me is these children’s smiles. You don’t know what they’ve been through," he said.
Here's how to donate to Pancho Claus' 2024 Christmas project:
- GoFundMe
- CashApp: $PanchoClause
- Zelle: Richard@panchoclaus.com
- PayPal: 713-208-0606
- Mail to:
- Casa Ramirez, 241 W. 19th Street Houston, Texas 77008
- Check payable to: Pancho Claus Arts
Reyes is also in need of volunteers to decorate collection boxes and can call to find businesses, community spots, etc. where the boxes can be placed.
It all started in 1981 when Reyes wrote a play called “Pancho Claus,” the Chicano version of “The Night Before Christmas.”
"‘What to my wandering eye should appear, eight low rider cars dragged down in the rear.’ Lines like that. It got a lot of attention,” Reyes told KHOU 11 News last year.
The story of Pancho Claus inspired him to start a nonprofit that has grown every year since.
In July, Hurricane Beryl flooded Reyes' Houston home and uprooted trees that damaged his roof. Through community donations, Reyes was able to clear debris and replace his roof, walls, fence, and furniture.