Many Hands Make Many Hearts Thankful

By Misty Cryer

Operation Hope has been providing Thanksgiving meals to families in need in the community for years. The 2025 Operation Hope Thanksgiving Food Drive began on November 1, and items will be collected until November 21. The deadline to apply for a basket is November 12.

“This is our 24th year,” said Terri Judah, organizer of the food drive. Donations of canned and non-perishable food can be dr

opped off at any of the schools, Constructor’s, Champion X, or Financial Security Credit Union.

“We have 10 or so groups that collect food at the grocery stores,” said Judah. “They will be out on the 15th and 16th at Walmart, LaTienda, and Albertsons.”

The following groups and their sponsors will participate: CHS Student Council, Interact Club, CHS Honor Society, Educators Rising, CHS Band, CHS Cheer and Dance, PR NJHS, CHS BPA, CHS MESA Club, Girl Scout Troop 12004, United Way, and Financial Security Credit Union.

Volunteers are needed on Friday, November 21, from about 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to Judah. “On Saturday morning, we always need help,” she said, specifying that they try to get everything done on Saturday between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

On Friday, November 21, a crew from ExxonMobil will pick up the food from the drop-off points and deliver it to the Boys and Girls Club, according to Judah. Then ChampionX sends a crew that will start sorting the food. After school, she said, people from everywhere come to the Boys and Girls Club to help sort food. “Sometimes I have a hundred people there. It’s the coolest thing if you’ve never seen it; it’s just crazy.”

After the food is sorted, Judah said they have a calm moment, everybody has a snack, and she counts the boxes to get the final count. From there, they start filling the boxes.

On Saturday, November 22, they will have a whole stack that needs to be delivered to the people who cannot pick up, according to Judah.

“We have people show up that say, ‘I would love to deliver five baskets,’ or ‘I want to knock on people’s doors, I want to bless somebody,’” she said.

Those who can pick up line up at the Boys and Girls Club. “We have a chain of people that put a basket, a potato, a roll, a pie, a ham, a turkey, and they roll it out, and we are constantly loading in cars, wishing people Happy Thanksgiving, and giving big hugs and prayers for what’s coming,” she said, adding that this distribution can consist of 300-plus vehicles.

Judah said they will check with other organizations that provide baskets because they already know this year is going to be hard. She said they have had baskets that were not picked up every year, so she tells people who missed the registration deadline to show up at 10:30 a.m.

“We have such an abundance of food that people usually get two boxes of food. They aren’t only getting Thanksgiving, but they are getting all kinds of food to live on for the next few weeks or so.”

In prior years, Judah said they also had leftover food. “I give truckloads of food to Jonah’s Food Pantry,” which she said she calls first, while also giving to Hope Center, Backpacks for Hunger, and other local food pantries. “If we have an abundance of food, we put it right back into our community,” she said.

Those in need of a basket should submit a completed form via the following link: https://forms.gle/PS4ydCBiFFGnzLa5A .