Special Operations, Soldotna
Christmas gifts in Soldotna
The program everything else grew out of. Angel Tree tags and gifts for children across the central peninsula.
It started as sponsor money from snowmachine races, redirected to a few local families at Christmas. Thirty people that first year.
Kendall Auto Alaska's 12 Days of Caring gave 62 children a Christmas through this program.
A gift a child actually asked for, bought new, tagged and handed over at their own school.
Families in Soldotna
We help families in Soldotna and the areas around it. Operation Children First works through partner elementary schools in Soldotna, the town its founder grew up in.
There are no names, no stories and no judgment. The school nurse keeps a list of what is needed, Operation Children First buys it new, and it is handed over quietly at school. A family is never asked to tell its story to qualify.
Money raised here stays here. In Matt Brown's words, donations raised in Soldotna stay in Soldotna, and contributions from the Kenai area go back into the Kenai area.
Questions people ask
What does Operation Children First do in Soldotna?
The program everything else grew out of. Angel Tree tags and gifts for children across the central peninsula. Operation Children First works through partner elementary schools in Soldotna, the town its founder grew up in.
How does a child in Soldotna get help from Operation Children First?
Through the school. There are no names, no stories and no judgment. The school nurse keeps a list of what is needed, Operation Children First buys it new, and it is handed over quietly at school. A family is never asked to tell its story to qualify.
Does a gift from Soldotna stay in Soldotna?
Yes. Money raised here stays here. In Matt Brown's words, donations raised in Soldotna stay in Soldotna, and contributions from the Kenai area go back into the Kenai area. Nothing goes to a head office or another state.
How do I give to christmas gifts from Soldotna?
Open the Support a child page, pick Venmo, PayPal or Cash App, and write Christmas in the note before you send. That one word is how the gift gets counted toward christmas gifts instead of the general pile.
Is Operation Children First a real nonprofit?
Yes. Operation Children First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Kenai, Alaska, EIN 84-3299344, started by Matt Brown of Soldotna. It gets coats, socks, hygiene supplies, Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts to children on the central Kenai Peninsula through their own schools.
Support a child in Soldotna
Write Christmas in the note so the gift counts toward christmas gifts.