Operation Santa Claus is back for its 40th year — with the goal of feeding 2,500 families in eight counties.

The campaign is an annual cooperative effort by Trib Total Media, Shop ’n Save and the Salvation Army to provide holiday dinners to local families. This year, the campaign had to reduce the number of families it will serve by about half.

“We’re afraid that if the donations continue to decline, we won’t be able to pay for the groceries,” said Lindsay Bock, Operation Santa Claus chairperson and Trib Total Media director of marketing. “It was a very difficult decision to make.”

The decision is best for the long-term sustainability of the program, she said.

Last year was “a difficult year,” according to Bock, as expenses increased and donations decreased.

“Inflation is inflation, whether you are a nonprofit or a for-profit,” Bock said.

Operation Santa Claus buys the groceries from Shop ’n Save at cost instead of at retail price, but wholesale prices have gone up as well, Bock said.

“Everyone’s budget is tight, but the people that we’re serving — they are the neediest of the needy,” Bock said. “So we’re doing our very best to provide them with a little relief over the holidays.”

This year’s fundraising goal is $50,000, which go toward purchasing the meal items, including a ham, canned fruits, vegetables, boxed potatoes, pasta, snack crackers, flavored gelatin and more.

Bill Lipsky, vice president of merchandising for Shop ’n Save, said the grocery chain will be shipping the boxes of food to families who put in requests.

“We want to try to feed as many families as we can. You always want to feed more,” Lipsky said.

Tom Charley, owner of the three Charley Family Shop ’n Save stores in Murrysville and Greensburg, said his father started working with the Trib when Operation Santa Claus began. He said the campaign is all volunteer work.

He agreed that fundraising has been challenging, which is “disappointing.”

Reducing the amount of meals this year was “a necessary step” to ensure the viability of the campaign for years to come, he said.

Meanwhile, the Salvation Army is prepared to cover the meals this year for families unable to be served by Operation Santa Claus, according to Maj. Laurie Greenfield, the core commanding officer at the Salvation Army in Greensburg.

“We don’t want to turn anybody away,” Greenfield said. “We want to be able to serve everyone that comes to us.”

She said she is finding this year’s need to be greater than last year’s — “and it’s only October.”

“We normally see an incremental increase, but we have more than double our requests from last year,” Greenfield said.

She said she believes it’s because of cuts in assistance programs and pandemic funds.

“Donations were down last year and throughout the year as well, so therefore, we need a little more assistance this year in order to meet the greater need,” Greenfield said.

Though Bock said Operation Santa Claus can’t accept actual food donations, the Salvation Army can. She said it’s “wonderful” that the Salvation Army is going to try and feed the families that Operation Santa Claus will be unable to help this year.

Greenfield said the Operation Santa Claus partnership is “a huge blessing.”

“It means the difference between having Christmas or not having Christmas for a lot of our families — and having a nice warm family meal together,” Greenfield said.

The campaign runs from Nov. 1 until the end of December, but Bock said financial donations “absolutely” will be accepted any time, as some bills don’t come due until later.

Donations can be made in multiple ways: through coupons in Trib Total Media’s daily, weekly or monthly newspapers, by purchasing $1 or $5 donation cards at participating Shop ’n Save stores until Dec. 17 or by visiting osc.triblive.com to donate online or print a donation coupon and send via mail.

Additionally, families can order a “Letter from Santa” at the same site through Nov. 30, which will be personalized for each child.

Operation Santa Claus also is in need of new and gently used books, which can be donated by calling 412-320-7872 or emailing marketing@triblive.com.

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