Operation Spread the Joy Delivers Gifts to the Homeless
On Christmas Eve, Operation Spread the Joy delivered bags of gifts to the homeless in the midlands.
Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — The holiday season is about giving back. On Christmas Eve, ‘Operation Spread the Joy’ spent the morning handing out bags of necessities to the homeless.
Christmas came early for those in need, but the Christmas stockings came in the shape of a bag.
“It’s a wonderful feeling, I think the kids that hand them out get just as excited as the adults do,” said Heather Malovic.
Heather Malovic is the organizer of ‘Operation Spread the Joy.” Malovic started collecting and handing out donations to the homeless 5 years ago, since then she’s seen the community spread the Christmas joy a little more each year.
“The donations have exploded,” explained Malovic. “Every year the bag has gotten bigger, in fact, we were laughing because we had to tie all the bags shut to keep everything in there.”
This year, they handed out several new surprises. They had a total of 150 bags, filled with earmuffs for the cold, brand new umbrellas and one of the annual favorites, peanut butter crackers.
“It’s a blessing, these are things that I needed for christmas, my girl she needed this she needed some things out of here,” said recipient Robert Thorton.
For Heather and many of the volunteers, meeting the need of the homeless during the holidays is an act of kindness she hopes others pass along.
“I think we were all placed on this world to make a difference,” said Malovic. “If we all as a community come together the world would be a better place”
