The Concept
On Christmas Eve in 1985, my wife, Joyce Holm and I were doing our Christmas Eve Broadcast. It was 4 hours of programming simulcast between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM on both KMHL-AM and KKCK-FM in Marshall, Minnesota.
During that program, we received a phone call from Andy Lee, an employee at Gesme's Printing of Marshall. Andy and his co-workers donated $250.00 cash to the Marshall Area Food Shelf and challenged other businesses to do the same. By 4:00 PM on Christmas Eve afternoon, we had spontaneously raised $1,800.00!
It seemed so easy. We recognized the importance of the timing, and how everyone was so caught up in the spirit of the holiday. Later, as we drove to our parents for Christmas Eve dinner, we talked about the possibility of this campaign. We guessed that $6,500.00 would get the job done. The idea stuck with us. We continued to talk about it through the next summer and decided to involve other community leaders.
The Beginning
The first meeting of the organization brought together dedicated community members: Frank Morris and Delores Garland from Region 8 Welfare, Gene Shrunk, past manager of Shopko, Gary St. Clair from Hy-Vee, Father Tony and Sister Mary Lou from Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Cecil Naatz from the Marshall Jaycees, Pastor David Halaas and Cathy Ulland from First Lutheran Church of Marshall, Sharon Hage of KMHL/KKCK Radio, and myself.
I filled everyone in on the idea, the goal, and after some input from Frank and Delores, everyone agreed to go for it!
Determining the Need
The first order of business was to determine the need. It was decided that our organization would act as an umbrella organization, coordinating the efforts of the area churches, businesses, civic organizations, and private citizens.
In that role, we would provide a master list outlining where the need was so that duplication or accidentally passing over others could be avoided. In addition, our organization would assist in distribution and in public awareness for all the different events and programs.
The First Distribution Day: What a Delight
The volunteers began arriving at 7:00 AM on Saturday, December 21st, 1986. First to arrive was Delores Garland of Region 8 Welfare, who had become the organizational backbone of Heart to Heart. Each person who came handed the front desk two forms: the food list stating family size, and the family breakdown with the age and gender of the children.
It took maybe 30 seconds to process at the front desk. A volunteer picked up the proper family-size food box while another gathered gifts for each listed child. Recipients were out the door in two minutes or less, assisted by friendly carry-out volunteers.
At one point we were running out of potatoes when a local farmer showed up with 200 pounds of clean, beautiful potatoes! Dayton's came through with surplus Santa Bears, and two Marshall businessmen called offering to cover whatever was short.
The Wrap Up & Legacy
When it was all over that first year, HEART TO HEART had provided 367 families with a traditional Christmas dinner including turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetables, potatoes, stuffing, and staple groceries providing a four-day food supply.
In addition, 905 children received Christmas gifts—from toy trucks and books to dolls, games, and Santa Bears—and over 100 adults received winter coats, mittens, and blankets.
Total collections in cash, food, and gifts exceeded $17,000.00. Today, Lyon County Heart to Heart continues this proud, volunteer-driven tradition every December.
