During the 2023-2024 holiday season in Gallatin County, Operation Holiday volunteers wrapped “7,000 gifts sent to kiddos across the valley,” according to the organizer, Lindsay Gallinger.

Operation Holiday enjoyed an astounding success with participation from hundreds of GHS students and sports teams. Even now, Operation Holiday is getting ready for next year. “We will be here! Same warehouse, same joy, same awesome team of volunteers, and same message,” Gallinger said. 

Operation Holiday has been going on for three years now, engaging students and children to give back to others. The nonprofit operation raises money and then hands it off to capable volunteers to purchase “Three needs and two wants from each kid,” as Gallinger explains. Volunteers then wrap the gifts and prepare them to be sent out for the holidays.

Operation Holiday, spearheaded by Gallinger and Christy Kroos, actually began with their children trying to do some good in the community. 

“Our kids actually got us involved in this back in 2020. They raised some money while they were in a pod at home and wanted to shop for a kid in need at Christmas. We worked through the schools and found out that there were over 300 that year that requested help,” Gallinger explained.  

Every year since, the operation has been growing from helping 300 children in 2020 to more than 1,000 during the 2023-2024 holiday season. 

“‘Spread Joy’ and ‘Help Kids’ are the main directives of Operation Holiday and will continue to next year. Both in the act of receiving and giving gifts make this program happen,” Gallinger said. 

Even though organizers at Operation Holiday understand that these holiday gifts will not change the financial situation of the families being helped, Gallinger said, “If we can affect one kiddo that can be more confident, can fit in, have the toy they might not have received otherwise or the shoes they needed, whatever it might be, we are helping/encouraging more ‘kind kids’ out there.”

Many members and groups in the Bozeman community helped fundraise for the childrens gifts of Operation Holiday. 

“We raise the money from about 12-15 different individuals and organizations here in the area…They feel strongly about helping kids in our own community,” Gallinger said. These donors helped raise $100,000 that was then used by children—many GHS students—to purchase and wrap 7,000 gifts this year.  

Among the GHS student body that volunteered their time to wrap gifts for children were many members of GHS athletics teams, including student - athletes involved in Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Soccer, Swim, Dance, and more. A lot of the high school involvement is attributed to the work of Coach Matt Clark. 

“This year, we talked to Coach Matt Clark and he spearheaded all of Gallatin's help,” Gallinger said. “He was phenomenal in getting everyone organized, excused and on team Operation Holiday.”

As of now, Operation Holiday is already gearing up for next year, and with the success they had in 2023, they will be able to spread more joy to more children in 2024.