• Over 50 years ago, around 1970, First Lutheran Church Women worked with local teachers and social service agencies to gather names of families that could use some extra help during the holidays by putting together boxes of food. These were then delivered directly to about 35 family homes as a surprise. Later arrangements were made for the Saywer County Sheriff’s Department to deliver the food boxes. Today, a week before Christmas, over 200 families pick up their food boxes jammed with food along with a gift for each child. With this expansion we now have three local churches – First Lutheran Church, Hayward United Methodist, and Ascension Episcopal Church – cosponsor this outreach along with many local sponsoring organizations.
• Operation Christmas continues to receive names from local area schools and social service agencies, although it no longer has the surprise element for the families. We also receive names from families or their friends through a phone call center that operates from late November through early December. If you or someone you know needs some extra help for the holidays and would like to receive these gifts, please call the church office at 715-634-2141. Call center hours are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday except for the Thanksgiving break (including the Friday after Thanksgiving. All information is kept confidential.
• Each family receives a basket overflowing with non-perishable items like peanut butter and cereal, a pie, fudge, meat, bags of potatoes, carrots, coupons for milk and eggs, and fresh fruit. These provide all the fixings for several holiday meals. Each child in the family will receive a Christmas gift appropriate to their age and gender.
• Distribution and gift pick-up information will be provided to the families and pick-up is at First Lutheran Church, 10680 Main Street, Hayward.
• There are many generous donations by members of the churches and the local community. Donors contribute funds for food purchases, children’s gifts, and hundreds of hours of time putting together the food boxes and family gifts.
• For those who would like to contribute, donations can be made by check payable to Operation Christmas, %First Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 346, Hayward, WI 54843. We also collect new hats and mittens that are distributed to local schools in January; those can be dropped off at First Lutheran Church prior to the first week in January.