Spreads Festive Cheer Across Colorado
Englewood, Colorado played host to the heartwarming 13th Annual VFW Holiday Airlift, a collaborative endeavor spearheaded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Colorado, VFW Post 9644, and the Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA). Over the weekends of December 10th and 17th, 2023, this remarkable event saw thirty-two aircraft take flight from Signature Flight Support South at Centennial Airport (APA) to transport an impressive 10,000 pounds of food and toys to 12 airports, primarily located in smaller or rural communities throughout Colorado.
The Holiday Airlift initiative, which runs year-round, accepts monetary donations for food, shifting its focus to physical donations of food and toys as Thanksgiving approaches. The journey commenced on Friday, December 8th, 2023, as dedicated volunteers purchased food and toys from local supermarkets and deliver to a hangar at Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado. On December 9th, volunteers diligently weighed and palletized the donated goods, preparing them for distribution to the 12 cities scheduled to receive assistance through this airlift.
Mother Nature threw a curveball on December 10th, with high winds affecting some of the aircraft's delivery plans. Nevertheless, approximately half of the food was successfully distributed, primarily to areas along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Finally, on December 17th, the remaining aircraft completed their deliveries.
The donated goods made their way to destinations such as Grand Junction, Montrose, Durango, Cortez, Alamosa, Pueblo, Las Animas, Sterling, Greeley, Northern Colorado Regional, Longmont, and Lafayette, spanning both the western and eastern sides of the mountains. At these locations, VFW volunteers welcomed the aircraft, assisting with unloading and, in many cases, providing lunch and discounted fuel to the generous pilots who contributed their time and resources to the cause.
This year's Holiday Airlift is projected to benefit 25-30 VFW Posts, which, in turn, will serve over 1,600 veterans in need and their families, ensuring
they have a special holiday season.
they have a special holiday season.
The mission was made possible thanks to the dedication of nearly 100 volunteers, including pilots and ground support teams. Among these volunteers were members of the Precision and Aerobatic Flight Teams of Metropolitan State University of Denver, alongside commercial, corporate, and private pilots from the Front Range region of Colorado. All participants generously donated their time and covered aircraft expenses to make this charitable event a success. A wide variety of aircraft were utilized for the Airlift, including a Varga Kachina, a Glasair GlaStar, Cessna 172s and 182s, a Lancair 360, Piper Cherokees, Cirusses, Beechcraft Bonanzas, and a Pilatus PC-12.
Since its inception in 2011, the CABA-VFW Holiday Airlift has delivered a total of more than 90,000 pounds of food and toys, benefiting approximately 12,000 veterans and their family members. Beyond its significant impact on veterans during the holiday season, this initiative exemplifies the vital role of light aircraft in delivering essential supplies to rural areas and underserved communities, highlighting the remarkable spirit of the general aviation community when called upon to assist others.
