On Saturday, December 13, the Anna House child-care center at Belmont Park will open its doors at 5 a.m., just as it does the other 364 days of the year.

But by early afternoon, the 7,500 square foot building will once again be transformed into a one-of-a-kind mini-mall for the sons and daughters of the backstretch workers so they can do their holiday shopping – for free.

For months, local community organizations, churches, youth groups and individuals, as well as the horse-racing community, have been donating brand-new items including hats, gloves, scarves, sweaters, gift cards and books, enabling hundreds of needy children to select gifts for their parents, siblings and grandparents at no cost to themselves.

Beginning at 1 p.m., the children of the racetrack’s stablehands, the majority of whom are Hispanic immigrants, first get to meet with Santa Claus. Next, with the help of volunteer elves, they make out a “shopping list” and choose from among the donated items until their list is completed. The gifts are then wrapped and tagged, again by elves, and placed into shopping bags for the children to take home, their holiday gift-giving taken care of.

One of the volunteers who attended the event for the first time last year was Teresa Genaro, a teacher from Brooklyn, New York.

“Walking with the children among the gifts, seeing them so thoughtfully consider what their parents might like, observing their delight when they found the perfect gift, I saw in action the good work of the BCCA and its donors,” she said. “There’s no question that these donations will make a difference to these families on Christmas morning, and give the children the joy of seeing their parents open the gifts that they selected.”

Donna Chenkin, the executive director of the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA), has been coordinating the holiday event since 2002, when it drew 20 children. Last year, there were 350 children under the age of 17, each of whom shopped for their entire families.

“It doesn’t change, it just seems to get bigger every year,” said Chenkin. “It’s a tradition that has been growing and growing. And this year, we have gotten more involvement from the outside.”

Among the major benefactors of the Holiday Event are the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Foundation, St. Joseph’s Church in Garden City, the Nassau County Homemakers Association, the Floral Park Junior Women’s Club and Clickits, a knitting group, also from Floral Park.

The Pioneers, a group from Verizon, is making arrangements for Santa Claus’s visit, and is also providing $5 phone cards for parents who come to the event with their children.

“As well, the employees of the New York Racing Association, owners, and trainers have been very supportive,” said Chenkin. “We couldn’t do it without them.”

The Belmont Child Care Association, which was formed 10 years ago this month, is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to sustaining a child care center that meets the unique needs of the families working in New York’s Thoroughbred racing industry. Anna House, named in honor of lead donor Eugene and Laura Melnyk’s daughter, is located just inside Gate 6 in the barn area at Belmont Park.