Paulding Firefighter’s “Operation Christmas” Adopt-a-Family Program

Hiram, Georgia – December 20, 2016. Each year families around the world celebrate Christmas with festive decorations, elaborate feasts, and an exchange of gifts. But, during the joyous holiday, it is easy to forget some families struggle to put food on the table and provide holiday gifts to their kids.
In a tradition dating back more than 20 years, Paulding County Firefighters have been spreading holiday joy to several local families-in-need as part of its community outreach program known as “Operation Christmas”. These families may be experiencing a serious medical hardship or extraordinary financial difficulties. With help from Paulding County’s school system Counselors, three families are selected and each is adopted by an entire shift. Firefighters then visit with the families, gather the Christmas wish-lists, shop for the gifts, and provide them to the parents so the children can be surprised on Christmas morning.
Bruce Jones and Josh Collier, who spearheaded the effort for B-Shift, collaborated to say, “We cannot begin to tell you the impact that our adopted family has made on us. This experience has humbled and helped us appreciate the things we have been blessed with in our lives.”
A-Shift Firefighter Jacob McDaniel added, “We are so happy being able to provide our adopted family a great Christmas morning. And, it is a blessing that Walmart in Hiram has supported Operation Christmas for the last several years making it a reality for our families.”