There were moments this year, Curtis said, when he felt weighed down by uncertainty and the responsibility of caring for two very young children on his own.
But what carried the Berks County single father through the darkest days, he said, was his determination to keep looking for the light.
It’s the same advice he offers to others struggling with hardships or grief this season.
“Keep looking for the light,” he said. “Don’t ever let the light stop shining.”
Curtis, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy, has sole custody of his 3-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter. He relies on help from his mother and brother as he works to build stability for his family.
The past year has been especially challenging, he said.
A construction worker by trade, Curtis was out of work for several months, leaving him struggling to keep up financially. During that time, he turned to community resources for help, receiving food assistance through Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank and support from the Salvation Army Reading Citadel.
“It was hard,” he said of that period. “I couldn’t find work. I couldn’t do anything.”
Despite the setbacks, Curtis said he never lost sight of what matters most: his children.
Becoming a father reshaped his sense of purpose, he said, particularly with his son. Though tests revealed he is not the child’s biological father, Curtis insists fatherhood is much more than DNA.
“A father is more than biology,” he said. “It’s a person that stays there day after day, that goes through the ups and downs.”
Ups and downs are something Curtis knows well. He has struggled through the downs much of his life, but this fall, he finally caught a break.
He was hired by a construction company that offered not just steady work, but long-term opportunities. Through the position, he is earning industry certifications and working toward an electrician’s license, training that would have been out of reach financially just months ago.
“That job opened a lot of doors for me and for my family,” he said. “It’s the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.”
While he is still catching up after months without income, Curtis said the work has brought renewed hope and confidence.
It also allowed him to begin creating traditions he never had growing up. He is planning simple things this year, like snuggling up at home on Christmas Eve with the kids, all wearing matching pajamas.
The holidays are filled with mixed emotions for him, Curtis said.
He is still grieving the loss of his grandmother, a central figure in his life. She died in 2022 just weeks before his son was born. The two events coming so close together, he said, taught him that joy and grief can be experienced side by side.
Though he still misses his grandmother, he said, his children are a source of healing.
“My kids are the light,” Curtis said. “Every day I look at them, and it’s like I’m looking at my grandmother in them.”
Christmas this year will be quiet and close to home, he said, centered on family and time together.
A grocery gift card and help with holiday shopping through Operation Holiday will ease some of the financial strain, Curtis said, and allow him to focus on being present with his children.
It’s another light.
“There’s always a light in the tunnel,” he said. “It’s for you to reach it. Even if it’s step by step. Even if there are setbacks. At the end, there’s still always that light.”
HistoryOperation Holiday was started in 1991 at The Mercury in Pottstown to help families going through tough times provide something for their children during the holidays. The mission of the program is to make sure there is food on the table and gifts under the tree when Christmas morning comes.
Now in its 35th year, the program has served thousands of families throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, expanding its reach in recent years to include communities served by readers of the Reading Eagle, The Times Herald, The Reporter, and Daily Local News.
Nearly $85,000 in donations last year provided gift cards to 366 children and grocery gift cards to 189 families plus cash donations to food pantries in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.
This year, Operation Holiday has partnered with 21 agencies in the tri-county area. Agencies have referred 199 families with 403 children for gifts and food.
There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay local. Funds are collected and audited in a nonprofit foundation account managed by staff of MediaNews Group who volunteer their time.
Gift cards to area grocery stores are provided to each family for food, so that they can purchase the fixings for a holiday dinner as well as staples for the pantry. Weis Markets is a partner with Operation Holiday and has assisted with food purchases and gift cards.
Gift cards for every child in the program 16 years of age or younger are purchased through Boscov’s and distributed in partnership with the referring agencies so that families can purchase gifts of their choice.
Operation Holiday does not accept families who have not been referred by an agency. Operation Holiday is funded solely by reader contributions. All contributions are tax deductible.
How to donateOnline donations are being accepted in a secure portal in partnership with TriCounty Community Network. Visit https://tcnetwork.org/ and click on the link for Operation Holiday.
Contributions also can be mailed with checks payable to Operation Holiday to P.O. Box 1181, Pottstown PA 19464; The Reporter, 34 Susquehanna Ave., Suite 100, Lansdale PA 19446; Operation Holiday, 1440 Lacrosse Ave., Reading PA 19607.
The names of all contributors are published in the participating newspapers as donations are received. Please note whether a contribution should be designated as anonymous or given in tribute or in memory of someone.
