Solomon Unified School District 393

Each holiday season, Operation Gorilla Family comes together for a large giveaway drive collecting donated food, household items, purses for moms, Christmas gifts for children, Christmas ham and much more. Solomon pride is apparent in these efforts, as everything is donated by the community, its stakeholders and business vendors with donations going to over one hundred individuals. But it didn’t always have such a formal name or strategy. Dean Ann Zsamba, the Clerk of the Board and committee leader for Operation Gorilla Family has unique insight into who the program helps, the program’s two forms of donation: holiday baskets and an angel tree, and finally the impact it makes on the community. According to Zsamba, the food drive was not always so community oriented. About 40 years ago, the donated food was designed to go to the food bank in Abilene. Zsamba stated that “a teacher, Jodi Kissner [noticed] a need for struggling single moms and teachers and asked how she could get some of the donations to stay here for [these] families.” Together they developed a system to help these local families. That year, the school was able to donate holiday baskets and supplies, delivered by Santa Claus, i.e., Kissner’s husband. Thus began the Solomon food drive. The next milestone came 12 years ago, where, in an effort to provide unity and consideration, while showcasing Gorilla pride, the superintendent renamed the program, Operation Gorilla Family. Each year a committee consisting of school administrators and community members worked together to get the word out about the program; to find recipients and corporate donors. Zsamba has been a fundamental part of the committee and has been around to see all of the changes throughout the years like the holiday baskets and the angel tree. Donations for holiday baskets grew and molded to fit the needs of the community each year. Originally, the food drive was simply that, only food and more specifically, canned goods. Then farmers in the area offered to donate turkeys. Another year a local family donated laundry supplies. According to Zsamba, there was a time when families contributed items for a garage sale of sorts, but the effort needed to maintain it led to its discontinuation. More ideas came up and soon groups were donating coats, shoes, Christmas gifts or any number of needs. The angel tree came a few years after the food drive began. Knowing that families who struggle financially have a tighter budget around the holidays, a community member who worked at The Cowboy Weigh came to Zsamba and inquired about an angel tree. This gave the community the chance to select from a range of different ‘angels’ and purchase Christmas gifts for them. The angel tree, once hosted by the old Cowboy Weigh, has now been hosted at the local DS&O Electric Cooperative for the last 6 years. Now the program provides donations to all community members in need, including senior citizens who receive a holiday basket of food, afghans, new pajamas, gift cards, Christmas presents or a combination of those. People can now adopt an individual child or can adopt as many as they want versus a whole family. We no longer see Santa delivering the baskets, but Operation Gorilla Family committee members and high schoolers work together to deliver donations to senior citizens and families or coordinate times for pick up at the school. Zsamba stated “The need does not go away. It takes a village and the important thing is Solomon taking care of Solomon.” Zsamba shared that over time, families who once received donations have become donors themselves, showcasing the power of community support and generosity. USD 393 sincerely thanks all donors and participants for their generosity and for continuing to make a difference in the lives of others in the community.