Kindly Elf Hands Out $13,000 To LA's Homeless

The "Eldorado Elf" has handed out $10 bills to people at The Midnight Mission shelter, giving away an estimated total of about $13,000 yesterday.

By: WKRG Staff | WKRG-TV
Published: December 24, 2008

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - A holiday tradition continues on Los Angeles'
Skid Row.
The so-called "Eldorado Elf" has again handed out $10 bills to
people at The Midnight Mission shelter, giving away an estimated
total of about $13,000 yesterday. The elf calls it the highlight of
his year.
The tradition started with car dealer Robert Moran, known as the
Cadillac Santa, in the early 1980s. When Moran died in 1992, his
friend and attorney took over. That person, known only as Bill,
showed up in a Cadillac Eldorado -- and thus was born the Eldorado
Elf.
The elf admits he's among those hit by the slumping economy, but
argues things aren't nearly as bad for him as they are for the
homeless.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)