At Florida Project, Mrs. James Ciaravella of medical auxiliary shows Mrs. Mary Noto how to play bingo at weekly game. With Christmas still two months away, some of Santa's best helpers are already in gear - as of yesterday, when the New Orleans christmas Bureau opened for the 1966 holiday season. The bureau's job is not to stuff stockings, but to guide groups and individuals who'd like to; they channel Christmas giving for maximum mileage. Every day until Christmas, volunteers will man telephones at the Community Volunteer Service of the Social Welfare Planning Council (a United Fund agency). They will put a donor in touch with social agencies which have lists of families and other groups in need of Christmas help, complete with specific wishes from children and parents alike. All families the Bureau helps must come through agencies. Or they can help Santa locate the right spots for gifts or parties for agencies and institutions. In addition, the bureau serves as a clearing house for gifts already planned, to avoid duplication.

Photo is dated 1966.

Photo measures 8 x 10.25 inches.