News Photo by Darby Hinkley Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 583 is heading up the all-volunteer Operation Holidays program, which includes Feed A Family and Toys for Kids. Pictured, from left, are VVA 583 Commander Wayne Trapp and Fundraising Coordinator Tammy Kish.

ALPENA — Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 583 is heading up the all-volunteer Operation Holidays program, which includes Feed A Family for Thanksgiving, and Toys for Kids for Christmas.

Both programs serve those in need in Alpena, Alcona, Montmorency, and Presque Isle counties.

So far, volunteers have packed 138 of the Thanksgiving dinner boxes, but more donations are needed to complete the total goal of 500 boxes for Feed A Family.

Items needed to fill those boxes include: Stove Top stuffing, gravy, cans of corn and green beans, cans of fruit, cans of cranberries, apple or cherry pie filling, Jiffy pie crust, and shelf-stable extras such as cereal, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, or any other nonperishable items. Each family will also receive a whole turkey and a bag of potatoes.

“We’re still really short on cranberries,” said Tammy Kish, president of the Associates of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 583, and fundraising coordinator for Operation Holidays. “We’re short on gravy and stuffing.”

She said the Thanksgiving boxes will be delivered to families on Nov. 23 and 24.

“They’ll receive them about four days before Thanksgiving, so they’ll have time to get their turkeys thawed,” Kish said. “And make the pie, and do all their trimmings.”

Operation Holidays started in 1991, and Kish came on board in 1994, so she’s celebrating 30 years of helping the community.

“It’s a great program,” she said. “It’s a very much needed program, especially in this day and age.”

“The people need it,” said VVA 583 Commander Wayne Trapp.

Operation Holidays headquarters is located in the Thunder Bay Plaza next to the new Ollie’s Outlet. Donations can be dropped off anytime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Toys for Kids provides gifts to newborns up to age 17. Typically, they serve about 2,000 children per year, Kish said.

She added that the greatest need is for gifts for ages 11 to 17.

For more information about Operation Holidays, or if you need to sign up to receive Thanksgiving dinner or Toys for Kids gifts, call Judy at 989-358-9085 or Tammy at 989-464-5588.

Gift wrapping will begin on Dec. 2.

“We’re still accepting groups to come in and wrap toys for the children,” Kish said. “They can contact me … We’re open seven days a week. Right now, I’m here from 8 until 8. As it gets closer to the holidays, we’re here even later. We’ve gone home at 3, 4, 5 o’clock in the morning. One time I went home at 6:35 in the morning, grabbed a shower, changed my clothes, and I was back here for 7. As it get closer to Christmas, it’s more crunch time. It’s quite the process.”

She added that all funds collected go right toward the Feed A Family and Toys for Kids programs.

“Whatever comes into us goes right back into the community,” Kish said.