A Michigan program that makes sure foster care children have gifts for the holidays is putting out an urgent call for help.
Operation Good Cheer has worked for 55 years to deliver thoughtful, personalized fits for children in Michigan’s foster care system.
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Every year, the program works with foster cares to collect wish lists of up to six gift ideas from children across Michigan.
Sponsors “adopt” one or more children for the holiday season, buying items for each.
Gifts are collected at several places around the state before being brought to the Oakland County International Airport in Waterford Township to be distributed by volunteer pilots and truck drivers.
More than 1,000 volunteers contribute to the cause every year. Regularly, 20,000 gifts go out to more than 6,000 kids. Last year, Operation Good Cheer gave gifts to 6,730 children thanks to a record 105 agencies and 186 groups and individual donors.
But this year, there has been an unexpected shortage of donors, with more than 100 enrolled foster children without a match.
“Every child deserves to feel seen, celebrated and cared for,” Operation Good Cheer Program Manager Emmanuel Boateng said. “We’re calling on the community to help us make sure no child is left out this Christmas.
“Sponsoring a child is simple, meaningful and unforgettable. The joy these kids show when they feel thought of and appreciated is so pure and powerful. It never stops warming your heart.”
The final deadline to become a donor is Nov. 10, 2025.