Six people called about potential jobs for Andre Carter, an unemployed single father raising three small children.

Nine offered houses, condos and even spare bedrooms in their homes to Lisa Anthony and her three kids, a homeless family likely to spend Christmas in a weekly-rate hotel.

And 10 people wanted to give toys and money to Mary Hardge, a grandmother raising five grandchildren without help from their parents.

In all, more than 60 people contacted the Observer offering to give directly to low-income families featured last week on the front page.

The stories are part of an ongoing series promoting the newspaper’s Empty Stocking Fund, which raises money to help the Salvation Army’s Christmas Bureau buy holiday gifts for low-income children.

All the families featured have applied to get toys from the bureau this Christmas. But readers were deeply moved by the broader range of needs that were obvious in the families’ stories and wanted to offer more help.

To which Salvation Army Maj. Todd Hawks says, thank you. Hawks has decided his staff will help coordinate such offers of help for specific families highlighted by the Observer. However, he said the agency will try and keep the focus on the Empty Stocking Fund, which plans to give toys to 13,701 children this year.

“It’s a nice problem to have,” Hawks said. “Obviously we want to meet the broader needs, but the needs of the Empty Stocking Fund have never been greater.”

He’s impressed by how compassionate Charlotte has been this year with its proposals to help the less fortunate – adults included.

Among those offers: a local spa’s donation of free treatments for Hardge, and a detective volunteering to track down the absentee father of one woman’s children, so she could get child support.

And then there were all those job offers for Carter, from employers who learned of his plight in the paper.

Carter, 42, is a single father who lost his job in September, can’t pay his rent and is now in danger of losing his home.

He starts working this week for Archer Western Contractors, a firm that’s building a new rental car facility and hourly parking deck at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. “He seemed like a very nice individual that respected his family and respected his community,” said one company official, who asked not to be identified. “We will not let him down.”

Carter said he’s amazed at the reaction to the article.

“I’ve been putting in applications and running into brick walls and all of a sudden I had all these jobs offers in a week,” he said. “I had gone to bed some nights shedding tears, because I didn’t want my kids to be on the streets. All I can say is that I’m definitely going to show love to others when I get a chance. I’m going to give back.”

The story of Malaina Jackson also got tremendous response. She has a job at Wells Fargo, but is struggling financially after taking in three homeless kids, while their Salvadorian mother looks for a job in Florida.

None of the three (ages 9, 6 and 17 months) has celebrated Christmas before, and they don’t believe in Santa. Jackson intends to remedy that.

Readers offered toys, clothing and money. The Observer directed most to the Empty Stocking Fund.

Caller Lynn Bryant, a single mother of three, spoke for many when she explained why she wants to help. She had no money to donate, but offered gently-used children’s clothes to Jackson.

“It’s about helping others, even if it’s with something other than money. This is the reason for the season,” she said. “I have complete admiration for Malaina taking in these homeless kids and showing them what Christmas is all about.”

This brings us to the most unusual offer off all, from Douglas Eberhart, 48, a medical sales representative in Charlotte.

He has a second job during the holidays playing Santa Claus, and he wants to show up at Jackson’s home on Christmas Eve.

That’ll make ’em believers, he figures.

“I just think it’s a shame that those kids have never experienced Christmas because their mom couldn’t afford it,” he said.

“To make three kids smile on Christmas Eve? To have them believe that Santa actually came to their house? That’s magical. That’s a great day.”

How to help

Send checks to Empty Stocking Fund, P.O. Box 37269, Charlotte NC 28237-7269 or go to charlotteobserver.com/emptystockingfund and use PayPal. Donations so far: $35,161.95.

For questions about helping a specific family, call Salvation Army Donor Relations: 704-714-4725.