Food donations sit ready for packing into boxes Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, at the Hermiston Community Center.

Volunteers wrapped presents and packed food boxes Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Hermiston Community Center, for the Christmas Express.

Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the annual drive to provide goods for needy families gathered enough food, toys and more to provide for 500 families. Schools, social services and churches were among the groups that identified the families. Each food box weighed nearly 100 pounds and contained a turkey, potatoes and onions.

The Hermiston Police Department was the organizing group, but the department’s chief was not taking all the credit.

“Donations came from everywhere,” Edmiston said, and the canned food donations from local schools was “huge this year.”

Traditional donors included the Walchli family (both sides — John and Skip), the Troy Betz family, the Alan Cleaver family, and several clubs — Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions and Altrusa. The program usually costs $15,000-$18,000, he said, and has received $14,776.44 in donations.

Volunteers used to be “historically limited to the police department,” Edmiston said, but other groups joined in recent years. Nowadays, the effort to collect and pack goods is city-wide, with government officials, firefighters and family members all helping.

Umatilla County firefighters are grateful to have been included in the Christmas Express, said Nickolas Oatley, Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 recruitment and retention coordinator. On behalf of the district, he expressed appreciation to the local community, the police department and the city of Hermiston.

Oatley was careful not to make too much out of the fire district’s involvement. He said Hermiston police remain the leaders of the effort; firefighters played a supporting role. Jim Forquer, the fire district’s deputy chief of administration, teamed with Tim Miears, police training officer, to involve firefighters.

Ten member of the fire district plus their family members helped at the Dec. 15 packing party, and it donated a large box of toys from community member donations, according to Oatley.

“We hope to be a part of this event in the coming years,” he said.

Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith was at the Hermiston Community Center as well and packed food boxes. He said in addition to police, firefighters and other community members, the large group of volunteers included other city employees.

“The Christmas Express is a longtime tradition that started with the police department, and a number of years ago we expanded as an opportunity for the whole city staff and their families to participate in a great community project,” he said.

There were two things that he especially liked about Christmas Express, Smith said. For one, he said he likes to help the community. For another, he said he likes to see city staff come together.

“It gives me a chance to know people from departments that I don’t see on a daily basis,” he said. “We work side-by-side, and I get to meet them and their families.”

In past years, Smith said, all the food boxes have been filled in 40 minutes. This year, volunteers were not nearly as fast, he said, laughing.

“I think we were a bit slow this year,” he said.

Still, they got all the work done in a single night, just like Santa Claus. And Smith said their hard work shows there are people in this community who care and are trying to help.

Even with all of the other volunteers, Edmiston said Christmas Express remains special to the Hermiston police.

“Everyone at the police department inevitably has something to do with the program each year,” he said. “Myself, Cpl. Tim Miears, chaplain Terry Cummings and communications manager Amanda Hartsteen start the planning each year in September.”

Edmiston said Agape House is also a major partner, as that organization hands out the boxes and presents to people from Dec. 17 to Dec. 20. Leftover presents are saved for the following year. And Agape House uses any remaining food.

Mark Gomolski, Agape House executive director, said while volunteers were busy at the community center, he also was busy, working with 30 missionaries who were getting the food distribution center ready.

He said there was a lot of work to do, which included setting up tables, retrieving stored gifts from last year and making room for food boxes. He added he was looking forward to the distribution, which would benefit many people.