Before Christmas in 1948 three U.S. Air Force pilots in Germany got a brilliant idea to help Santa Claus. Lt. Jack La Marr of Long Island, Captain Sherwood Drumm of Massachusetts and Lt. F. Konop of New York City asked Americans for toys, candy and clothing to give the impoverished German kids.
The pilots were part of the Berlin Airlift bringing life-saving supplies into West Berlin, which had been blockaded by the Soviet Union. The pilots did not want to see German children miss out on Christmas joy because of the Cold War crisis. These kids had seen so much war, hunger and sadness in their young lives. This was three years after the destruction of World War II.
Operation Santa Claus was started and it took multiple planes to bring all the donated packages to Germany for Christmas.
Lt. Konop told UP news “Folks back home just can’t bear to think of kids being unhappy on Christmas.” The children were thrilled to get the gifts from the three pilots and helpers of Santa Claus.
But this was just the tip of the iceberg for Christmas in 1948.
General Lucius Clay, who commanded the American forces in Germany after the war, requested donations of CARE food packages for German kids. There was extreme hunger and malnutrition in Germany in those years after World War II. That Christmas the Vice President-elect Alben Barkley also urged donations of food packages for Germany and Austria.
The response was awesome. At least half a million CARE food packages were sent to Europe in the weeks before Christmas. CARE, the charity founded after WWII to feed Europe’s hungry, had a record setting year for sending food packages because of the holiday generosity. The Christian Science Monitor reported that in Finland actual reindeer were used to deliver the food packages because of the difficult terrain.
The Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe encouraged Americans to send more of these Christmas food packages so hungry children could eat well. Germany was the biggest recipient of the food packages, followed by Italy and France.
Lt. Col. Robert C. Hall in Germany wrote of the holiday food packages “you have no idea just how much happiness you have been instrumental in bringing to the youngsters of this war-torn country. Your Christmas gift of service for the German youth is one which is appreciated by thousands of us here, and when we say, once again, thank you, it comes from the bottom of our hearts.”
Kids in Europe were benefiting too from school lunch and infant nutrition programs powered by American donations and the Marshall Plan. Food aid for the millions of starving people in Europe saved lives and gave them the strength to rebuild from the war. For children, the food gave hope for the future.
During this holiday season and into the new year we should also extend that same kindness to millions of hungry children in war and drought zones. They are mostly forgotten by the world. This holiday season looks bleak to them especially since there have been so many funding cuts to humanitarian aid this year.
In war afflicted nations like Sudan, South Sudan, Gaza, Mali, Yemen and Congo the World Food Program (WFP) does not have enough funding to reach everyone in need. The WFP states “Severe shortfalls are crippling emergency responses, forcing deep ration cuts and reducing access to food for the most vulnerable groups with refugee food assistance at a breaking point.”
This holiday season and New Year we can do something about it by donating to a charity feeding the world’s hungry. The World Food Program, Save the Children, Mary’s Meals, Mercy Corps, CARE, UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services and others need help in these hunger emergencies.
There is more than enough food and wealth to feed the hungry at home and abroad. We can help local foodbanks and charities that fight world hunger. This holiday you can carry on the Spirit of Operation Santa Claus and the Marshall Plan Christmas food packages. You can feed hungry children everywhere. Tell your elected officials to join you in this mission and making feeding the hungry a priority year round.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.” His writings have been published by the Washington Post, Newsweek, History News Network and many other news outlets. Lambers volunteered to write the Hunger Heroes section of FreeRice, the online fundraising trivia game of the World Food Program.