Operation Holiday: Mother of 6 barely gets by but her children help out

For Anita, a mother of six, buying gifts to put under the Christmas tree is secondary to everyday money worries.

She works at night cleaning stores. Sometimes her oldest child, who is 18 and has special needs, helps her out.

The other children range in age from 16 to 1. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, support for which comes from a local pantry.

“They have food, they have clothes — they’ll be fine,” she said.

Still, Anita says it’s a constant struggle to pay the household bills. Her husband is unemployed and under the grip of alcoholism. She wishes he would get help, but she can only push so much.

At the very least, Anita, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, wishes her husband would help out around the house,

Fortunately, her children help to lighten the load.

“My kids, they help me a lot,” Anita said, explaining that the older children help with household chores and taking care of the little ones.

Anita’s family was one of nearly 200 families in the tri-county region who will be given a hand up this year through Operation Holiday.

History

Operation Holiday was started in 1991 at The Mercury in Pottstown to help families going through tough times provide something for their children during the holidays. The mission of the program is to make sure there is food on the table and gifts under the tree when Christmas morning comes.

Now in its 34th year, the program has served thousands of families throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, expanding its reach in recent years to include communities served by readers of the Reading Eagle, The Times Herald, The Reporter, and Daily Local News.

Nearly $90,000 in donations last year provided food and gifts for 419 children and 184 families, plus cash donations to food pantries in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

This year, Operation Holiday has partnered with 17 agencies in the tri-county area. Agencies have referred 189 families with 366 children for gifts and food.

There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay local. Funds are collected and audited in a nonprofit foundation account managed by staff of MediaNews Group newspapers who volunteer their time.

Gift cards to area grocery stores are provided to each family for food, so that they can purchase the fixings for a holiday dinner as well as staples for the pantry. Weis Markets is a partner with Operation Holiday and has assisted with food purchases and gift cards.

Gift cards for every child in the program 16 years of age or younger are purchased through Boscov’s and distributed in partnership with the referring agencies so that families can purchase gifts of their choice.

Operation Holiday does not accept families who have not been referred by an agency. Operation Holiday is funded solely by reader contributions. All contributions are tax deductible.

How to donate

Online donations are being accepted in a secure portal in partnership with TriCounty Community Network. Visit https://tcnetwork.org/ and click on the link for Operation Holiday.

Contributions also can be mailed with checks payable to Operation Holiday to PO Box 1181, Pottstown PA 19464; The Reporter, 34 Susquehanna Ave., Suite 100, Lansdale PA 19446; Operation Holiday, 1440 Lacrosse Ave., Reading PA 19607.

The names of all contributors are published in the participating newspapers as donations are received. Please note whether a contribution should be designated as anonymous or given in tribute or in memory of someone.

Source: Berkshire mont