|
Hundreds of families still need your help |
|
|
Monday, 26 November 2007 |
As the deadline for Christmas donors approaches, 320 city families still need to be 'adopted'
WOONSOCKET - Christmas is fast approaching and most people associate the holiday season with twinkling lights, family togetherness, and the exchanging of presents. For many Woonsocket residents, however, the holidays mean financial struggles, and the fear that they won't be able to provide gifts for their children.
The Adopt-a-Family program was founded some 25 years ago to provide Christmas gifts to Woonsocket children whose families are unable to siphon money from their weekly budget in order to meet the expenditures associated with holiday gifts. Most of the families applying to the program are people who work 40 or more hours per week and are able to take care of their families on a weekly basis, but do not have any additional money to spend on the holidays.
Adopt-a-Family, Inc. is an autonomous city-based nonprofit organization for residents earning up to 125 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines. Through Woonsocket's Family Resources offices, families are able to fill out anonymous applications and "wish lists" for Christmas gifts, and then Adopt-a-Family matches the family to a donor who provides the children with holiday gifts from their wish lists. While it does offer some financial relief for struggling parents, the program is strictly to provide clothing and toys to children.
"It's only for the kids. It's not for the household, not for the parents. It's very specific," explained Sandra Soares, Adopt-a-Family's program coordinator.
For the last four years, the Adopt-a-Family program has been able to find donors for every family that has applied. Last year, 982 families with 2,082 children were all matched but this year only 787 families have been matched to donors, leaving 320 families still "un-adopted" and the adoption deadline is Dec. 1.
"For many years we were not able to take care of a hundred percent of the people who applied and were eligible, but for these last four years we were able to. That's not going to happen this year," says Soares, expressing her distress that more people haven't opted to become donors.
An increase in approximately 17 percent of applicants and a decline in the amount donors are able to contribute in comparison to last year have left organizers concerned that some families will not be helped this year.
"It's not that the donors aren't helping, it's just that they can't do as much as they did in the past," Soares says, indicating that the cost of living has greatly increased over the last year, which has impacted everyone's financial situation in some way.
Soares stresses that most of the donors are not financially well off but still find the $125 to $150 to adopt a child. While the cost might be more than some can afford during the holidays, the fact that the gifts received through the Adopt-a-Family program are usually the only presents those children will receive is enough for people to make the financial sacrifice.
"I wish no one would ever have to apply [for this program], but I know that will never happen," says Soares. "It's a great program. We don't want to have to disappoint these kids."
For more information or to become a donor, contact Adopt-a-Family at (401) 766-2291 before Dec.1 or write to Adopt-a-Family, P.O. Box 7665, Cumberland, RI 02864.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 December 2007 )
|
Horoscope