Operation Holidays Helps Struggling Families in Our Town

Operation Holidays has been providing food and gifts to families in three counties for 32 years, beginning at The Mercury in Pottstown in 1991. To ensure that every child has something for the holidays, no matter how dire the family situation is.

The program has served thousands of families each year as community outreach for local newspapers. Just tell the story you need and ask your readers for a reaction, and you’ll raise money. Employees of local newspapers, which have expanded from The Mercury to The Times Herald, The Reporter, Daily Local News and Reading Eagle, manage fundraising through non-profit foundations and work with local agencies to help families in need. identify and distribute food and gifts. card.

Each year shows the need to be present in the community and the generosity that flows accordingly.

In 2020, the pandemic created unprecedented demand for food pantries in the region. Many of them are annual Operation Holiday partners. Their story of working to meet demand became another “Season of Caring” series, and coupled with Operation Holiday’s profile, inspired overwhelming generosity from readers.

In 2021, another kind of devastation has affected the region. Many people have lost their homes and lives have been upended by flooding and tornadoes from the wreckage of Hurricane His Ida in early September. Operation Her Holiday tells the story of Mary and Joe (not their real names) and their three children who had to be rescued by boat from their flooded Norristown apartment on September 1st. She started the year with

A devastating explosion rocked the Pottstown neighborhood in May this year, killing children and damaging or destroying eight homes. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, and the lingering wounds have left deep scars in the area. The holiday season will be especially difficult for those families.

As we launch this year’s Operation Holidays campaign, families are finding it hard to make ends meet as they deal with inflation pushing up food, transportation and rent costs. When families struggle to put food on the table, adding holiday gifts and special foods becomes nearly impossible for many working parents.

That’s where Operation Holiday comes in. If your family is struggling to have a roof over their heads and food, they don’t have the resources left to buy presents for the holiday season. Operation Holiday’s mission is to provide children in these difficult situations with food and gifts similar to a normal Christmas.

This year, Operation Holiday partnered with 22 agencies in three counties. The agency introduced gifts and food to 144 families with 375 children, and food to an additional 34 families. The program is also helping her eight Pottstown families who lost their homes in the May explosion.

There is no operational holiday overhead and all funds stay local. Funds are collected and audited in a non-profit foundation account managed by MediaNews Group staff who volunteer their time.

Last year’s donations were unprecedented. Over $122,000 in donations was received, all of which came from individual readers of local newspapers, ranging from $2 to his $5,000. The funds will provide food and gifts for her 379 children and to donate cash to 13 grocery stores in Burks, Chester and Montgomery counties that serve struggling families in the area. I was able to

The program provides both a means for people to donate locally, knowing their donations will be used to help families in their community, and a way to encourage those who are lagging behind. Your donation adds value to your community and gives hope to children.

Online donations are accepted through a secure portal in partnership with the TriCounty Community Network. Visit https://tcnetwork.org/ and click on the Operation Holiday link. Donations may be mailed by check paid to Operation Holiday to PO Box 1181, Pottstown PA 19464. Reporter, 307 Derstine Ave., Lansdale PA 19446; Operation Holiday, 1440 Lacrosse Ave., Reading, PA 19607.