As the 2024 Christmas season has concluded, GP Anderson, creator of the "Christmas In Wadena" animated light show, gathered up the food and monetary gifts and headed east to Project Share, the local food shelf in Wadena, MN. Upon his arrival, meeting Director Mary Ann Hagen, they loaded, unloaded, and weighed 311 pounds of food to help fill the shelves. Mr. Anderson then handed her a check in the amount of $1,796.65 from this year's donations!

Over the past seventeen years, Christmas In Wadena has collected over 6,407 pounds of food and $29,180.99, with 100% going to the food shelf.

Anderson was asked, "Why do you do this?" "To truly relieve hunger in our community, it’s important that we first transform the thinking behind hunger relief. Providing a bag of groceries to a person in need today is obviously important. But how do we make it so that person isn’t in need tomorrow?"

"Implementing sustainable systems that feed our neighbors in immediate need while helping them get back on their feet and in position to help others is the key to ending the cycle of hunger. It’s becoming increasingly clear that providing our hungry neighbors information about available resources is just as important as the food source itself. What good is a food source if no one knows about it?"

Christmas In Wadena is an animated light show to music created, produced, edited, mixed, and built by local artist, GP Anderson. Thousands and thousands of people have visited the free display over the past holiday seasons. Numerous local and regional newspapers, television shows, radio stations, and social media have raved about it as a "Must See Event." A true holiday tradition viewed worldwide on all seven continents. Through the recession of 2007-08 and Covid-19, Mr. Anderson has put his heart and soul into the event and needs to replace the lights.