COURT HOUSE – With more than 600 U.S. Coast Guard recruits at Training Center Cape May (TRACEN) expected at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the American Red Cross is accepting applications from people in the Cape May area who wish to become a host family for Operation Fireside.
Operation Fireside provides recruits from TRACEN with a place to call home on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Day. The recruits, who are away from home during the Coast Guard’s eight-week basic training, are matched by the Red Cross and the Coast Guard with local families who are willing to open their homes to recruits during the holidays.
“Operation Fireside was a nice mental break,” said former Coast Guard member Kathleen Dillon, recalling her participation with Operation Fireside while she was a recruit. “It helped me feel part of the community and gave me the motivation to finish basic training.”
For more than 40 years, Cape May area families and local organizations have welcomed the recruits, with many continuing the tradition year after year. The program looked different during the pandemic, with desserts being provided to the recruits while they remained at the Training Center on the holidays.
This year, Operation Fireside is back in full force and the opportunity is open to additional families wishing to participate. All prospective host families must live within 50 miles or within a 60-minute drive (whichever comes first) of TRACEN at One Munro Avenue in Cape May.
Those who meet the criteria and wish to apply or learn more can contact the Red Cross Operation Fireside program coordinators by email at opfiresidenj@redcross.org or by calling 609-562-2258. Host families will be added this year on a first-come, first-served basis.
“We’re honored to work alongside the Coast Guard with Operation Fireside all these years,” said Nicole Runyon, regional manager of the Service to the Armed Forces for the American Red Cross New Jersey Region. “Approximately 400 recruits are placed each holiday with more than 100 generous Cape May area families, who warmly welcome the recruits with a holiday meal and the comforts of home. This year it is our hope to be able to accommodate more than 600 recruits.”
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