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Christmas goes green

  • Published
  • By Bryan Magaña
  • 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UTAH --  Christmas has gone green - camouflage green - as reservists spread holiday cheer to families in need.

Just as the sun rose over the Wasatch Mountains Tuesday, about 60 Airmen from the 419th and 388th Fighter Wings gathered at the Ogden and Salt Lake City Christmas Box Houses, loading up bagfuls of gifts to deliver to local children in foster care.

The volunteers in ABUs hand-delivered nearly 1,000 gifts to about 340 children along the Wasatch Front, some as far as the Utah-Idaho border - all while using their own leave and their own vehicles.

For the third year in row, Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Matysik, of the 419th Maintenance Squadron, headed up the effort to find volunteers, which he said is never hard to do.

This year, active duty Airmen joined the cause, which meant that Sergeant Matysik could add the Salt Lake City Christmas Box House to the agenda, bringing the total number of homes served to about 160.

Master Sgt. Karine Machado, of the 419th Military Personnel Flight, covered homes in Layton and West Point. This was her first year volunteering at the Christmas Box House.

"It's Christmastime and I wanted to volunteer," Sergeant Machado said. "Foster care is important. It gives kids a safe place to be."

Sergeant Machado said she loved meeting the children and their foster parents as she and her coworkers dropped off the gifts.

"It was nice to be able to help out," she said. "They were really thankful for everything."

"A lot of these kids come from very rough backgrounds, which most of us will never understand," said Staff Sgt. Allen Hightower, of the 419th MXS. "I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to help them out, even if only for a day."

That one day is the pinnacle of a year's worth of work. Local businesses and residents donate to the Christmas Box House, which partners with the Utah Foster Care Foundation each year to collect the goodies.

Sergeant Matysik said he plans to be involved every year and imagines the number of volunteers will continue to grow.

Some have even chosen to volunteer on a long-term basis. Inspired by past gift deliveries, two members of the 419th FW are now proud foster parents.