Operation Holiday Heroes

It’s been a trying year for Rebecca and her husband, who has been deployed for a little over a year now.  Stretching the dollars to cover daily necessities and pay the bills is barely possible.  Finding anything extra to put under the tree for her three children is out of the question.

Rebecca then saw a newspaper article about Operation Holiday Heroes and decided to apply.  Now she knows her children will get some gifts, and she will be able to prepare a Christmas dinner for them all to share.

Operation Holiday Heroes helps families like Rebecca’s every year in our community at Christmas.  Operation Holiday Heroes is a countywide collaboration of The Salvation Army, Beaufort County Department of Social Services, Bluffton Self Help, Deep Well, Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce,  The Beaufort Gazette / The Island Packet, and United Way of the Lowcountry.  Its mission is to assure that every child and family in need has toys and food for the holidays, but this year we need help more than ever to cover the 60 % increase in families that need toys and a holiday meal.

There are many ways that you can significantly impact the lives of the children in Beaufort County, and it’s easier than you think. Your family can adopt a child for Christmas; your business can ask employees to bring in one unwrapped gift each; your civic organization can chose to provide a cash donation; or your business can donate to Operation Holiday Heroes in lieu of sending a fruitcake or a dozen tins of cookies. Just think, instead of sending a fruit cake for the holidays you can send a certificate letting that business know that a donation has been made on their behalf to make sure that one child still believes in Santa. 

Volunteers are also needed to sort toys, transport donated gifts and work at Toy Shops.  Spanish-speaking volunteers are especially needed.  To volunteer in Beaufort, call the Salvation Army, 524-3727.  To volunteer in Bluffton, call Bluffton Self Help at 757-8000, and to volunteer in Hilton Head, call Deep Well at 285-2849.

New, unwrapped toys can be placed in any of the Toys for Tots boxes throughout the community, or brought directly to one of the three United Way offices!

Canned goods and non-perishable food items can be brought to:
• Salvation Army, 2505 North St. in Beaufort, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Bluffton Self Help, 1264 May River Road, Bluffton, 757-8000 (Accepts donated clothing as well)
• Deep Well, 154A Beach City Road, Hilton Head, also welcomes contributions of nonperishable foods. Call 785-2849 for details.

To make monetary contributions for the purchase of toys and food vouchers, please send a check made payable to Operation Holiday Heroes to United Way of the Lowcountry, P.O. Box 202, Beaufort, SC 29901.  Or bring your donation to the United Way office at 2266 Boundary St. in Beaufort, 1538 Fording Island Road in Bluffton, or 306 Third Avenue in Ridgeland.
 
Donations can be in honor of or in memory of someone, or they can be anonymous.  Contributors’ names will be published weekly in The Beaufort Gazette with a running total of Holiday Heroes contributions.  For more information, call United Way of the Lowcountry at 982-3040 ext. 24.

So far, Operation Holiday Heroes has receive the following contributions:

Patricia Nolan $20.00
Arlene Covington $25.00
Martha & Joseph James Jr. $25.00
Anne Vieira $25.00
Charles & Kathy Barton $50.00
Barbara Robinson $50.00
Mary Ann Warrell $50.00
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tennis Team $70.00
Terry Gibson & George Tracy $100.00
Gray’s Hill Baptist Sunday School $100.00
N.D. Myers $100.00
Mr. & Mrs. John Trask Jr. $100.00
Christopher & Teresa Kirk $200.00
Barbara Norris $200.00
Mr. Loring P. Stone $200.00

This week’s total $1315.00
Total to date $1315.00

Thank You for helping us to help those children in need at Christmas!