Fire department prepares to serve holiday cheer

  • Published
  • By Argen Duncan
  • Nucleus editor
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  For the 37th time, preparations are heating up for the annual Operation Holiday Cheer meal at Kirtland Air Force Base.

The celebration is set for 11 a.m. to about 5 p.m. Wednesday at Fire Station 2, on the west side of the base. It provides a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, entertainment and, for children and seniors, Christmas gifts.

A now-retired Kirtland firefighter, Clinton Winfield, started the program in 1978 to help 20-30 Albuquerque senior citizens with a meal and holiday gifts.

"And it's grown to the point where we serve anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 people," said event director and KAFB assistant fire chief Ronnie Dexter.

Dexter expects a little more than 100 volunteers, many of them Kirtland firefighters and their families, to run the holiday party, which takes five people to organize.

Organizers work with the City of Albuquerque Health and Social Services Centers to find 50 senior citizens and 500 families, the number organizers are able to serve, who need a hand at Christmas, he said.

East Central Health and Human Services Center Manager Michelle Sena said the four centers in Albuquerque each get tickets to give away. Families must provide identification and documentation of Albuquerque residence to participate.

Sena said the program has a big impact on the community, providing a chance for families to get away from their daily struggles, enjoy a meal together and see Santa. Local businesses, base organizations and the Giving Tree at Coronado Center mall provide goods to make the celebration happen.

Five days before Operation Holiday Cheer, volunteers start cooking 50 turkeys, 50 gallons of enchiladas, 40 gallons of posole, 50 gallons of mashed potatoes and more. The day before, they sort the 1,000 donated toys for the children 12 years old and younger.

On the day of the event, Sena said, service center staff members check attendees' identification again, and buses from the base take them to the party.

Senior citizens are served from 11 a.m. to noon, and receive gifts from Honeywell employees. Then busloads of families come until about 5 p.m.

Dexter said entertainment includes a DJ, a small-animal petting zoo from the Albuquerque BioPark and activities from Explora children's museum.

Sena said the families enjoy the event so much that many ask to come back in following years.

"Everyone is very grateful for it," she said.

Dexter said the event is important because it strengthens ties between the base and the community and is a way to show support and give back to the community.