LITTLE FALLS, NY – In a heartfelt and action-packed episode of the Small Town Life podcast, Herkimer County Hunger Coalition leaders Ray Lenarcic and Kelly Brown sat down with host Dave Warner to issue urgent holiday calls to action that every local resident needs to hear.
Now in its 26th year, the beloved Gram Lorraine Children’s Christmas Program continues to match generous sponsors with hundreds of local children who might otherwise wake up to an empty Christmas morning. With detailed wish lists (sizes, favorite colors, toys, and games – no names revealed), the program has helped an estimated 10–15,000 kids since 1999.
Coats, boots, bikes, and even Christmas trees are part of the giving this year, and late-arriving families mean more sponsors and donations are still desperately needed.
The duo also spotlighted Operation Cookie Core and its Christmas offshoot Operation Candy Cane, which stocks the Marine Corporal Gregory Harris Courtesy Room at Hancock International Airport with snacks for troops in transit.
Drop-off deadline for stocking-stuffer items (wool caps, gloves, puzzle books, crayons, small toys) is December 1 at Little Falls City Hall or Kinney Drugs.
But the biggest shock of the episode? The Syracuse airport has suddenly started charging the all-volunteer courtesy room $2,300 a month in rent – a fee other New York airports do not impose. Lenarcic and Brown are leading a letter-writing campaign to the FAA begging for a waiver, and they need your help.
The episode also unveiled brand-new children’s Christmas storybooks illustrated by local and international artists (three originals for $25), fire-safety initiatives, veteran banner projects, and a powerful reminder never to forget New York’s fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Christmas is all about giving, and you’re going to be giving something that makes a little child happy who otherwise wouldn’t be,” Lenarcic said.
Watch the full episode now on the Studio 25 Podcast Network YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts to hear the complete stories, see the stunning new children’s books, and find out exactly how you can help this holiday season.
To sponsor a child, donate, buy storybooks, or join the FAA letter campaign: Herkimer County Hunger Coalition, P.O. Box 622, Herkimer, NY 1335,0, or call Kelly Brown: (315) 867-3375
Every minute of this episode will warm your heart and light a fire to get involved – don’t miss it!
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