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It’s beginning to look like a Community Christmas

AFES steps in to help fill void left by end of Operation Christmas

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Sarah Hatley, the program director for the Community Christmas program, shows off the folder she’s using to organize the event. Formerly Operation Christmas, the program will be hosted by the Athletics For Education And Success in their building.

Operation Christmas, a 66-year-old volunteer program in Fort Dodge that provided toys, clothes and other gifts to those in need, announced in October of 2017 that it would be its last year.

It was a tough decision by co-chairs Ruth Reed and Gwen Anderson.

“It breaks my heart to do this,” she said.

At the time, the pair were hoping that the project would be taken over and continued.

“There will be somebody who steps up and does something,” Anderson said. “There are other agencies in town. It just won’t be exactly like ours.”

Exactly what they hoped would happened now has.

Charles Clayton, executive director for the Athletics For Education and Success, has announced that AFES will be taking over the project, which is now being called Community Christmas.

“When they decided to close it down we decided that if nobody else would, we would take it over,” he said. “We didn’t want to see it go.”

Sarah Hatley is the new Community Christmas program director.

“I remember thinking that’s so sad for the community to lose that,” she said of the Operation Christmas decision. “That’s when I was first called to continue in this ministry for our community.”

She said the focus will shift a bit this year.

“Our focus will be just on the kids as we start this new program,” she said.

They’re going to see how it works out.

“We’re going to reassess to see how it worked,” she said.

While the main effort will go towards children, Hatley said Community Christmas will also include a few disabled adults. They will be given food and homecare or hygiene items.

Clayton said that they will also initially be reducing the number served.

“We plan on doing about 250 during the first year,” he said. “Our focus will be on newborns to 12 years old. We want to make sure they get something for Christmas.”

They have also eliminated the used clothing and toys that were donated to Operation Christmas and then given away.

Clayton said they will be sending out donation letters soon.

“If people want to donate toys or even sponsor a child or a whole family,” he said. “People have already reached out.”

They will be lining up volunteers in August. While that may seem early, it’s not too far from when Operation Christmas began.

“Their timeline usually started in late October,” Clayton said. “By the week after Thanksgiving, they were ready to go.”

He said they plan to distribute the gifts on Dec. 21 at the AFES building located at 712 Third St. NW in Fort Dodge.

“This will be the permanent home,” Clayton said.

AFES can be contacted at AFEScommunitychristmas@gmail.com.

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