Forty families will have a bright Christmas this year, thanks to the generosity of a caring and giving community.
The final three families on The Daily Statesman's Operation Santa were assisted on Wednesday when a generous monetary contribution was delivered to the Statesman offices from Ronnie and Pat Hessling of rural Dexter.
Over the past several days, a host of individuals, businesses and organizations have stepped forward to one-by-one adopt a family in need. Along with the adoption process, the paper once again received monetary donations from local residents, from the Kiwanis, from area church groups, from a local businessman who each year provides one of our most significant gifts to the program, from a motorcycle riding organization, the Faurecia plant, the VFW, a pageant organization, banks, a trucking firm, a group of caring students from Richland Schools, Town & Country Market at Bernie, U.S. Poly, Tetra Pak of Sikeston, a host of individuals who wished to remain anonymous, and Dexter's T.S. Hill Middle School Jr. Beta Club which adopted six families on the list.
The Christmas spirit abounds in Stoddard County. Among the unique adoptees were a pair of truck drivers from Puxico, friends who just wanted to help make a difference this Christmas season. Others made an adoption as a family Christmas project as parents work to teach their children the true meaning of the holiday.
Some of the monetary contributions will go toward providing food vouchers for several of the families enrolled in this year's program. Additional monies donated will help supply gifts for families with several children to assist the single individuals who stepped forward to help those families in need.
The Daily Statesman extends a heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a role in making this year's SOS program one of the most successful on record.