Derby Operation Holiday

In 1984, Verla Lock helped found and chair Operation Holiday Derby as a mission of Woodlawn United Methodist Church in Derby, KS. There was a desire from local businesses and organizations to assist local families in need. Verla worked with the director of Inter-Faith Ministries in Wichita to develop a separate program for Derby. The Salvation Army served as a database clearing house for Wichita and Derby, and still does. Interfaith Ministries has become Humankind in Wichita, but our agencies still communicate. 

At some point, we became Derby Operation Holiday. The distribution site changed from Woodlawn United Methodist Church to the South Rock Christian Powerhouse. Forms and paperwork have turned into a website and an online application. We still rely on word of mouth as much as we do social media. We started with serving 175 families and now average around 200 families served. We also serve two low income senior housing facilities in Derby each year.

We began as a small committee led by a chair and continue to run Derby Operation Holiday with two cochairs organizing the mission and an amazing committee of 15 that lead each department. Community involvement and generosity has been key to our success from the beginning. Businesses, organizations, schools, and caring community members go above and beyond each year to raise awareness of our program. They volunteer numerous hours; donate food, toys, and monetary gifts; and adopt families.