By day, Randy Smith is a one-man outreach team, hunting down food, clothing and supplies for more than 100 people living in a Gainesville homeless encampment.
By night, he’s behind the wheel of a forklift, working the graveyard shift to pay the bills and fund his mission.
To many, he’s “Santa Randy” — a nickname he earned thanks to his long white beard, jolly smile, and years of playing Kriss Kringle at parades and parties.
But for 55-year-old Smith, serving poor people is far more than a seasonal gig.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
“We are serving the homeless,” he said. “We are just the feet and hands of God.”
Smith and his wife, Melanie, first started handing out food and clothing to homeless people in Atlanta, Athens and Covington in 2019. Many of those efforts were bankrolled by Smith’s side job playing Santa.
His calling crystallized one day when he saw a little girl among a group of homeless adults in Athens.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Adults were one thing. But the reality of homeless children — that was something he couldn’t fathom.
“I saw the people, not just the situation,” Smith said. “And I thought there’s got to be something I can do.”
The son of a preacher and Sunday school teacher, Smith had recently returned to church with his wife after decades away. The congregation volunteered regularly with a local outreach program. The Smiths joined in — and didn’t stop there.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
One day, after performing as Santa in Jefferson, Smith stopped at a consignment shop in Athens — to satisfy his passion for thrifting — and learned they hosted a monthly outreach for the homeless. That’s when he started organizing his own event, an annual Black Friday giveaway. Each person in need received a “gift of warmth,” a pair of socks, gloves and a hat.
But it wasn’t until he drove past a stretch of road near Gainesville’s airport that his mission really took shape. Tent after tent lined Dorsey Street. He counted at least 100.
He knew he couldn’t just show up uninvited — so he started by dropping off firewood, a welcome sight on a cold December. He brought doughnuts and his friend and co-worker, Stefen Wilson, to build trust.
“When I saw this brother out there, and he was spreading God’s love, it was just incredible,” Wilson said. “I said, ‘Brother, I’m in.’”
Wilson has been the anchor of a small group of volunteers who have been there with Smith and watched his organization, Santa for the Homeless, grow.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Smith now has donations rolling in from co-workers, neighbors on the Nextdoor app, and even local restaurants and stores. What started with one truckload of supplies is now a monthly event that includes 11 long tables loaded with clothes, socks, tents, gloves, hygiene products and sleeping bags. The 12th table is reserved for the residents’ prayer requests, hung like ornaments on a Christmas tree.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
“I have watched him grow and grow and watched the Lord bless and bless him and provide volunteers, supplies, resources, whatnot,” said the Rev. Derrick Davis, pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Buford, and another of Smith’s co-workers at Uline.
Davis calls Smith a “very genuine, very awesome and a giving guy” who is always there to help.
“And he loves what he is doing with the homeless,” he said.
Smith’s efforts are largely focused in Hall County these days, but they don’t stop at the county line.
When devastating floods hit South Georgia, he went there with supplies and a willingness to help. And when the Gainesville encampment was flooded, he and Melanie cut short their “date night” and were there with dry clothes, tents and other emergency supplies.
“I just try to go where I’m needed,” Smith said.
Melanie prefers to stay behind the scenes — managing logistics, coordinating donations, and handling the administrative load of his Christian-based ministry now supported by 10 churches. She’s reluctantly stepped into the spotlight once, dressing as Mrs. Claus for a holiday event. Mostly, though, she keeps the operation running quietly from home.
Smith sees her as the engine that keeps it all running smoothly.
She quickly puts the credit back on him.
“This man does so much for people,” she said.
Now, the couple is ready for the next chapter: starting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that will allow them to grow their outreach, strengthen partnerships, and reach even more people who can help or need help. They’re also launching a website, Santaforthehomeless.org.
For Smith, it all comes back to that same sense of purpose that got him started.
“I always knew I wanted to help people,” said Smith, who remembers growing up happy in a one-bedroom home with his parents and three sisters and the living room as his bedroom.
“God says love your neighbor as I love the church, and, believe it or not, everything in our ministry is based on faith,” Smith said. “Without getting grants and cash donations and begging for money, we are still here five years later. Every bit is on faith.”
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