Carolyn Granger Jordan was 21 the first time someone asked her to make a Christmas list.
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| Above, moviegoers drop off canned food outside a theater to help Local 796 fill the food boxes they give to families in addition to their children’s presents. Each family also receives a grocery gift card to put a turkey or ham on the holiday table. Below, bicycles are one of the most popular items on youngsters’ wish lists.
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Growing up poor in the South, the future Dothan, Ala., Local 796 member never knew the childhood joy of writing down what hoped for, let alone waking up to sprawl of presents under the tree.
But that year, a friend’s family lovingly insisted. Jordan listed Chinos, a necklace, a purse and other items, not knowing what to expect.
“On Christmas morning, every single thing on the list was filled,” she said. “They gave unconditionally to me, just as if I were one of their own children.”
For decades now, with the enthusiastic support of her union, employer, and coworkers at the Farley Nuclear Plant in southeast Alabama, Jordan has been paying it forward.
She started with a toy drive in 1985, feeling blessed to be earning a living wage as an entry-level worker at the plant.
What started in her garage soon grew into a union hall operation rivaling Santa’s workshop, where everyone pitches in.
“There’s no line between us, no union side or management side,” said Local 796 member Rhonda Roberts, a Farley mechanic who shepherds the project, from year-round fundraising to a blizzard of shopping and wrapping. “It takes all of us to make it a success.”
Business Manager David Richardson noted that Farley managers are flexible about workers’ schedules around the holidays so they can volunteer. “We’re proud to lead the project every year, but it’s a joint effort with all our partners at Southern Nuclear,” he said.
Together, they made Christmas dreams come true for more than 60 area children in 2021, names gathered from social service agencies.
“We have them put down whatever their wishes are — clothes, toys, shoes, bicycles, everything,” Roberts said. “And we try to fill all of them.”
And then some. The generosity extends to grocery gift cards so families can put a turkey or ham on the table. And when parents or guardians arrive Local 796 to pick up their boxes of presents — for Santa to deliver —there’s always something special for older siblings, too.
That’s especially important to Jordan, having been a young adult the first time she experienced the magic of Christmas Day.
“We want to take care of them,” she said. “Everyone no matter how old wants Christmas.”