Operation Holiday ends 2021 campaign with record amount

More than 900 donations total $122,000

Operation Holiday, the giving program of area newspapers, concluded its 2021 fundraising campaign with a record $122,746 in donations.

The campaign to provide food and gifts for children in local needy families inspired 915 gifts, nearly all of them from individuals responding to stories published in newspapers and websites of MediaNews Group.

The program which began 31 years ago at The

Mercury in Pottstown grew in recent years to include communities served by The Reporter, The Times-Herald, Daily Local News, and the weeklies groups, Montgomery Media, Main Line Media and Southern Chester County newspapers. The program expanded into Berks County with the Reading Eagle in 2021.

Working with 21 partner agencies, Operation Holiday provided gifts and food in December to 145 families and 379 children. In addition, donations are being made this month to 13 food pantries throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response,” said Shelley Meenan, general manager for the Philadelphia region news sites. “We know that as this pandemic lingers, non-profit food pantries fill a great need in our communities. Thanks to our readers’ generosity, we can help them help others.”

Operation Holiday operates under a non-profit foundation managed by MediaNews Group employees as volunteers. There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds are distributed locally.