Photos: Operation Santa Claus visits Savoonga

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Alaska Air National Guardsmen fly a C-130 Hercules to Savoonga during Operation Santa on Friday, October 16, 2015. The Alaska National Guard, in partnership with the Salvation Army, Tastee Freeze and other groups, brought Santa Claus and a load of gifts, food and school supplies to the St. Lawrence Island village.

Santa Claus started handing out gifts a little early this year, visiting the St. Lawrence Island community of Savoonga on October 16.

With the help of the Alaska National Guard -- who flew Santa and his gifts to the island aboard a C-130 Hercules -- and community groups including the Salvation Army and Tastee Freeze, Savoonga received 3,000 pounds of food, 250 backpacks filled with school supplies, 250 personal care bags filled with items like shampoo and deodorant, and wrapped gifts for nearly every child in the village.

Operation Santa Claus began in 1956, when nuns from St. Mary's reached out to the National Guard for help with presents for the children in their orphanage. That year, spring floods and summer drought left the mission with no choice but to pay to have food shipped in, leaving no money that year for presents.

Operation Santa Claus will visit St. Mary's again this year on December 5.