Mom lost job but wants nice holiday for her son

In September Lisa faced two life-changing events: first an operation to remove her gall bladder, then the loss of her job.

She’s been looking for work since, but there have been a number of obstacles in her way.

She hasn’t been able to find any work that pays enough to sustain herself and her son that doesn’t require working weekends — which she can’t do as a single mom without child care on the Saturdays and Sundays — and doesn’t require heavy lifting — which she used to do in her warehouse job but can’t now following her surgery.

So Lisa, a 22-year-old whose name has been changed to protect her family’s privacy, has been concerned about how she’s going to fulfill her 4-year-old son’s Christmas wishes.

Her surgery came right around her son’s birthday, which hindered their ability to celebrate it properly.

So now she’s extra determined to give him a nice Christmas.

That’s where Operation Holiday comes in. Lisa’s family is among those referred to the fund that provides help with food and gifts this season.

Operation Holiday

Operation Holiday was started in 1991 at The Mercury

in Pottstown to help families going through tough times provide something for their children during the holidays. The mission of the program is to make sure there is food on the table and gifts under the tree when Christmas morning comes.

Now in its 32nd year, the program has served thousands of families throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, expanding its reach in recent years to include communities served by Reading Eagle, The Times Herald, The Reporter and Daily Local News.

More than $122,000 in donations last year provided food and gifts for 379 children and cash donations to 13 food pantries in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

This year, Operation Holiday has partnered with 22 agencies in the tri-county area. Agencies have referred 144 families with 375 children for gifts and food and an additional 34 families for food. The program is also assisting the eight families in Pottstown who lost their homes in a devastating explosion in May.

There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay local. Funds are collected and audited in a non-profit foundation account managed by staff of MediaNews Group who vol