Events

OPERATION ELF (Everybody Loves Families) PACKING PARTY

It’s a party! It’s a donation drop-off site for gently-used kids’ clothing and toys! It’s a potluck dinner! It’s music and face painting! It’s sitting on Santa’s knee! It’s playing a dreidel game. It’s a holiday dinner food drive! It’s a drive for new or gently-used household goods! It’s the place where folks bring the gift(s) to fulfill a child’s wish list.

The Operation ELF Holiday Gathering is the highpoint of the organization’s charitable efforts every year. This event is an opportunity for the many volunteers and their families to come together and celebrate the season and the community’s ability to bring the joy of the season to the less fortunate.

Volunteers produce this event starting weeks in advance. Men and women join forces to gathering requests from the charities, organizing them, and distributing the wish lists to gift sponsors. These giving people go shopping and fill each child’s request, and perhaps do even a little bit more.

Other teams handle decorating the event site, organizing transportation and gift delivery, sorting and packing of everything the day of the event, entertaining the volunteers’ children during the event, and providing a feast to nourish the body while the event nourishes the spirit.

In addition, there are many other activities to make this a true family event/celebration. These include:

• Holiday music to celebrate the season
• Potluck Feast (bring food ready to serve!)
• Activities for the kids
• Learn to play dreidel
• And a visit from Santa Claus

Get in the spirit with a slideshow of photos from our 2015 event.