Golden Harvest, Christmas House make holidays brighter on post

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - For the third year in a row, Golden Harvest Food Bank teamed up with Fort Eisenhower Christmas House to help service .

Preed families of active-duty service at grade E6 and below were able to select gifts for their children and pets while also receiving boxes of shelf-stable food items through Golden Harvest.

This year, 869 children were served including 445 families.

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More than 100 organizations and individuals throughout the CSRA donated toy items and monetary donations in order for families to get the “shopping experience” of the Christmas House.

The inside of the Christmas House was set up in a retail fashion with shopping carts and shelves filled with toys and books. Once the families exited the Christmas House, Golden Harvest Food Bank staff greeted them with boxes of food, hams, and turkeys to help nourish their families for the holiday season.

“The marriage between Golden Harvest Food Bank and the Christmas House located on Fort Eisenhower is simply beautiful,” said Nomi Stanton, Fort Eisenhower Christmas House adviser. “Being able to provide food as well as toys for our military families who have dedicated their lives to selfless service is a true blessing and I am beyond grateful.”

Founded over 60 years ago by a group of nurses who worked on base, Fort Eisenhower Christmas House began as a mission to bring joy and toys to military families. The group offered teddy bears as Christmas gifts to children of deployed military personnel.

Over the years, the Christmas House tradition has expanded to provide all qualifying military families toys, bicycles and food boxes courtesy of a partnership with Golden Harvest.

“Fort Eisenhower Christmas House gives us the opportunity to show our military families that we are appreciative of their services on the front lines serving our country while also providing those in need with nourishment,” said Amy Breitmann, president and CEO of Golden Harvest. “This partnership means a great deal to us and we’re glad that we can return the help to those that help us every single day.”

According to Feeding America projections as many as 160,000 active-duty enlisted service are facing food insecurity, with about 22,000 currently signed up to receive SNAP benefits. In a recent survey of Feeding America’s food banks, approximately half are serving active-duty military and their families.