Special Operations, Kenai
Thanksgiving meals in Kenai
More than a hundred full meals every year, distributed through local elementary schools.
The schools know which families are stretched thin in November. They send a list of what is needed, never a list of who needs it.
A full meal goes home with the child, from the school they already walk into every morning.
A turkey and everything that goes beside it, for one family, for one holiday.
Families in Kenai
We help families in Kenai and the areas around it. Operation Children First is based in Kenai and works through partner elementary schools here.
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 Kenai?
More than a hundred full meals every year, distributed through local elementary schools. Operation Children First is based in Kenai and works through partner elementary schools here.
How does a child in Kenai 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 Kenai stay in Kenai?
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 thanksgiving meals from Kenai?
Open the Support a child page, pick Venmo, PayPal or Cash App, and write Thanksgiving in the note before you send. That one word is how the gift gets counted toward thanksgiving meals 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 Kenai
Write Thanksgiving in the note so the gift counts toward thanksgiving meals.