Operation Santa Seeks Community Members to Adopt Families in its Effort to Holiday Cheer
Since 2007, UC San Diego’s Operation Santa has provided Christmas celebrations for 731 San Diego families who are facing financial hardship. Many of the families served by Operation Santa are led by single mothers as well as those who are victims of domestic violence, facing illness, experiencing the loss of a family member or struggling financially. Each year, Alpha Phi Omega encourages community members to nominate families in need and gives individuals and organizations the opportunity to participate as “adopters.” Operation Santa matches families with “adopters” who, after receiving the nominated family’s gift wish list, buy, wrap and deliver holiday presents to families by Dec. 24. As Operation Santa has grown over the years, Alpha Phi Omega has seen a rise in the number of families nominated to receive help during the holiday season; however, the number of nominated families continues to outpace adopters: the ratio of nomination applications to adoption applications is 4 to 1.
