SEA/SEIU Local 1984 members pose for a photo during Truck Day 2017, when gifts collected through our Operation Santa Claus program are distributed to children across the state. You can see a gallery of photos here.
In the span of a few hours Wednesday morning, volunteers loaded gifts for more than 2,700 children in trucks to be delivered across the state.
Just like that, Christmas happened for thousands of children across the state.
Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that. Operation Santa Claus – a volunteer run group of SEA/SEIU Local 1984 members– is a massive community effort. Wednesday was OSC’s Truck Day, when a busload of National Guard troops joined OSC volunteers to load gifts into trucks. Guard troops then trucked the gifts to DHHS district offices, where they’ll be unloaded and sorted so caseworkers can get them to kids in time for the holiday. (You can see a gallery of photos from the event here)
Along with National Guard troops and our own volunteers, we were joined by special guests Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky, Adjutant General David Mikolaities, and Miss NH Lauren Percy. Our good friends at WMUR – who sponsor children themselves – were there to cover Truck Day, as well. (You can watch their report here) We appreciate all who took time out to be with us.
It’s tough to describe how much of a community effort Operation Santa Claus is. It’s a process that involves a lot of love, hundreds of DHHS caseworkers, thousands of sponsors, and a whole lot of time. Our volunteers – many of whom are retirees – give so generously of their time. Thanks to all of this, OSC again delivered for children around the state.
Drawing winner
For the last four years, OSC has held a drawing for some piece of high-tech gear – this year, it was a 50-inch television. We held the drawing at Truck Day on Wednesday, and the winner is:
Kathleen Weber, an SEA member at the Department of Environmental Services
Congratulations, Kathleen, and thank you to all who bought raffle tickets!