The ‘Spirit of Christmas’ lingers on

The holidays may be fading into the sunset, but the good will spread by a team of U.S. Transportation Command and Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command workers will linger for months to come, if not years. 

Each year a team of USTRANSCOM and SDDC contractors, civilians and their family members participate in “The Spirit of Christmas” and adopt two families in the local area to help provide them much needed, food, clothing, household items and gifts for Christmas.

According to Bill Howard, a contractor for USTRANSCOM and organizer of the event, “The Spirit of Christmas” has been helping families since 2004.   Since then, more than 20 families, located throughout St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Parish in Belleville, have had a better holiday thanks to the generosity of people and a local business.

“Families are located through St. Teresa’s,” Howard said.  “We visit each of the proposed families prior to Christmas to discuss what they are in need of and how we can help.  No money is involved.  It is all donations.  The team provides the gifts based on a ‘wish list’ the family provides to me and Weekends Only (a local furniture store) provides the furniture.

Howard’s group gets in gear around Thanksgiving, assigning the families to volunteers and procuring donated items, and delivers the gifts right before Christmas.

“This was an exceptional year for the ‘Spirit of Christmas,’” Howard continued.  “We had a record 30 volunteers and everyone pitched in to help both families in many different ways other than just getting them gifts. It is so rewarding to see the genuine concern our volunteers have for these families.

 “Once again, Weekends Only in Fairview Heights, responded to our needs,” Howard continued.  “They provided an entire apartment with furniture and bedding for a family that had nothing at all. This was the ninth year the store has participated in the ‘Spirit of Christmas.’”

“Each year this effort continues to grow. We are already looking forward to 2015.”

The ‘Spirit of Christmas’ program is not sponsored by any military organization.  

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