Tinsley almost missed the call with a reporter about Operation Holiday because her daughter had been rushed to the hospital from school.
“I got a call from her school. She had passed out and they could not wake her up for five minutes,” said Tinsley, whose name has been changed here to protect her privacy and that of her family.
Recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, her daughter had low blood sugar. “She was just diagnosed. She almost died from it.”
Tinsley has six children, five girls and one boy. He is at school studying carpentry to help with his firefighting career. “Now, when he pulls up to a structure, he has a better idea of how it was constructed and how to maneuver through the rooms,” she explained.
When her youngest daughter was only two months old, she joined Tinsley in a very special ceremony. Ringing a hospital bell to indicate Tinsley had completed chemotherapy. Tinsley was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer when she was pregnant. “Let me tell you it was a real struggle doing chemo while I was pregnant,” she said.
But her baby was born “perfectly healthy” and held the bell robe in both hands while mom celebrated the remission of her cancer.
Tinsley is raising her children without their father because he died from an overdose more than 10 years ago. They don’t remember too much about him because “for their safety, I took them away for a while.”
Three of her children are now old enough to receive the Social Security death benefit for their father’s passing, but that does not provide nearly enough money to feed the family. “I can’t even afford groceries and I have to rely on my church and the community food pantry,” Tinsley said.
Nonetheless, Tinsley is trying to make things better by going to school full-time to become a nurse.
“I had a really nice oncology nurse when I was getting chemo who convinced me that if I could get through chemo while pregnant, I could do anything,” she said.
One thing she can’t do is shower her children with gifts at Christmas time. “The pantry used to give out gifts from donors, but now they have expanded it to people without kids too, so it’s more people drawing on the same pool of gifts,” she said.
Told about what she would be receiving through Operation Holiday, thanks to the generosity of our readers, Tinsley choked back a sob and said, “That would be awesome.”
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 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 non-profit 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 can be mailed with checks payable to Operation Holiday to PO Box 1181, Pottstown PA 19464; The Reporter, 34 Susquehanna Ave., Ste. 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
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