NORTH POLE — Many wonder what Mrs. Claus does as her jolly spouse readies himself for his Christmas Eve trip around the world.

This season, Mrs. Claus, who some say bears an uncanny resemblance to Sharon Schneider of Butler Township, gathered 1,505 stockings stuffed with goodies and other items for cancer patients in three counties.

Claus said she took over the program of collecting and handing out the stockings last year, and collaborated with all involved to name the project “Hang Tough: Stockings Stuffed with Love and Care.”

The program was operated in a different format by Kim Birchbickler since 2011 before being taken over by Mrs. Claus.

She explained that the stockings are distributed to cancer patients in treatment facilities in Butler, Mercer and Lawrence counties and to the Visiting Nurses Association to encourage patients to stay strong through their treatment.

Claus said the project put out three collection boxes last year, into which generous residents could drop stockings they had stuffed with items they think a cancer patient would appreciate.

This year, 18 collection boxes could be found at area businesses and churches.

Claus said that hand sanitizer, lip balm, puzzle books, gloves and socks, granola bars and cheese crackers turn up in many stockings, but some stuffers get creative with their offerings.

Silly Putty, lottery tickets, books of stamps, stuffed animals and gift cards for gas stations and restaurants were included in this year's stockings.

“This year, we saw oodles of unique and creative items,” she said.

Claus and her cohorts pick up the stockings from the collection centers and sort them into eight to 10 stockings per box before calling the various cancer centers and asking for a convenient time when they could pass them out to patients.

The stockings are often transported to the cancer treatment centers and stored there until administrators find a few hours when Claus and seven elves she recruits from Santa's workshop can pass them out to patients.

“They're all like kids when they see Mrs. Claus and the elves,” she said of the patients. “Some of them rip into them immediately, and some hold them like they're gold and take them home and wait for Christmas to open them.”

Claus said the feeling she gets inside when passing out the stockings is better than a warm cup of hot cocoa with her spouse on Christmas night.

“It's an overwhelming feeling,” Claus said. “It's the best gift I can get at Christmas, to give that love and care to others.”

She said many years ago, her father stood out on Route 68 near Acre Avenue during the Christmas season, handing out candy canes to passers-by.

“So, I don't know if it's a family business or what,” Claus said with a matronly chuckle.

She said she handed out 539 empty stockings this year to various groups, including bowling teams and Butler varsity hockey, who filled and returned them for distribution through the program.

Girl Scout Troop 26494 of Butler was given 24 empty stockings last year — and not only filled them, but bought 26 more and filled them, too.

This year, the troop got 50 empty stockings and filled and returned 48.

With such dedication, it's not hard to give a stocking to all of the cancer patients in multiple treatment center waiting rooms.

“I told people I had a goal in mind of 1,000 stockings and people thought I was nuts,” Claus said. “It's a higher calling. God is definitely guiding me in the right direction with this.”

Stacy Meyer, a social worker at BHS Oncology at the Butler Regional Cancer Center, which partners with the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, called the Hang Tough program “outstanding.”

“They love seeing Mrs. Claus and the elves,” Meyer said. “She fusses over them and does an amazing job.”

She said the patients are often shocked that they are receiving a gift with no expectation in return other than a smile and a few minutes of cheer.

“They're blown away by the gifts and more so who's handing it to them — Mrs. Claus,” Meyer said.

Many patients receiving cancer treatment are overwhelmed when they are told community members filled the stockings.

“They hold them tightly to their chests like, 'This is for me?'” Meyer said. “I feel like it's God's gift to these people. It's the most beautiful thing.”

She said that the holiday season can be depressing for many cancer patients.

“For some, they may know it's their last Christmas,” Meyer said. “Others are still in shock from being diagnosed.”

She encourages everyone to stuff a stocking for next year's Hang Tough: Stockings Stuffed with Love and Care program, which they can do by typing the program's name into the search box on Facebook.

“Anyone who would like to participate, please know the stockings are going to beautiful people and it's a great cause,” she said.