History
Operation Noel - A History of Helping
Way back in 1939, Ruth Pooley, the wife of the Herald-Post’s Editor, saw that a local jeans manufacturer had a Little Boys fund that provided new jeans to disadvantaged boys. She decided girls needed to be helped as well, so she began The Little Girls Dress Fund, asking the newspaper’s readers to bring in new dresses or send in donations.
When enough money was raised, she would buy new dresses for these little girls at the Popular Dry Goods Company, a practice that continued until the early 1980's when a reporter from the Herald-Post took over the project.
The name was then changed to Operation Noel, and included both boys and girls. The focus was changed to sweat suits and jeans, and by that time several agencies were involved and more than 3,000 children were helped.
The idea behind Operation Noel evolved again when organizers learned that so many of these children had no coats to wear in the winter because their families couldn't afford them. The organizers contracted a local apparel company in El Paso, who in turn contracted a supplier to produce coats specifically for the children of Operation Noel.
Now, more than 65 area agencies and schools are involved in selecting children most in need of winter coats, the lists of children compiled from September through November by caseworkers and school counselors who in turn provide the lists to Operation Noel.
Donations
Donations for Operation Noel are accepted year-round and can be mailed to:
Operation Noel
601 N. Mesa St, Ste 1550
El Paso, TX 79901
OR
You can make a donation online by clicking the button below:
For more information, call (915) 351-0408.