Operation Holiday is asking the community to donate as it nears its December deadline short of its goal.
The nonprofit — part of Inter-Faith Ministries — is “woefully short” on most items, director Ashley Davis said, with food being the biggest concern. The nonprofit distributes necessities — food, grocery gift cards, pet food, winter wear and blankets — to low-income families and individuals.
“We have quite a few new applicants coming through the doors this week ... and (we’re) really not seeing anything coming through the doors donation-wise,” Davis said. “So it’s going to take a significant push from the community as a whole to meet the need.”
In addition to food, blankets are another key item Operation Holiday is lacking.
“We probably have 500 (blankets) in-house at this point,” Davis said. “If we have close to 5,000 applicant families, that leaves us very short of being able to offer one to everybody.”
Operation Holiday will continue accepting donations until distribution begins Dec. 13. It is still accepting applications for help through Friday.
Donations can be dropped off at Operation Holiday’s distribution center inside Towne West Mall.
Andrew Linnabary is an intern in the KMUW News Lab.