Volunteers Needed for Distribution Week December 7-12, 2014

Good news! All eligible families have donors! That's great news! Nearly 1,000 families will experience the joys of Christmas because of the generosity and love of people they will never know.

The culmination of our annual program is what we call Distribution Week which is December 7-12, 2014. That is the week when donors deliver nearly 5,000 bags, boxes and bikes to the Elks Lodge at 380 Social Street in Woonsocket, RI. Those same bikes, bags and boxes of gifts will then be given to the families.

It takes an army to accomplish it all in one week. We are in need of volunteers. During the week of December 7-12 our operation runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Here are a few of the jobs we need help with:

• Moving gifts from donors' cars into the warehouse as they arrive
• Logging and tagging bags, boxes and bicycles
• Sorting and storing gifts in warehouse
• Logging gifts out as they leave the warehouse
• Verifying recipients' identification as they arrive to pick up their children's gifts
• Bringing bags to recipients' cars 
• Wrapping gifts as needed
• Calling families to let them know their gifts are available for pick up
• Assisting our "Kitchen Elves" who feed our volunteers 

Over the course of the week we need 150-180 volunteers. We have jobs that require a certain amount of physical ability but we also have several jobs for volunteers who need to sit. 

We especially need Spanish speakers to help us on the telephones and at the door.

We have volunteers who come for an hour, four hours, a full day and several who work for the total week. If you have some time during the week of December 7-12 and would like to help, please call our Volunteer Coordinator Brenda at 401-658-2019 ASAP.

2014 Program is Underway

Only 52 days until the start of Distribution Week! Our partner Community Care Alliance, formerly Family Resources, began meeting with families on September 23 to take applications for Adopt-a-Family. Before November 14, they will have met with more than 1,200 families.

To date we have received applications from approximately 325 families with more than 650 children. These families are all eligible for our program. To be eligible you must be a Woonsocket resident and have children under the age of 13. Eligibility is also based on income and need.

These are the maximum income guidelines for families applying:

Family of 2 - $1,639 / month
Family of 3 - $2,061 / month
Family of 4 - $2,484 / month
Family of 5 - $2,907 / month
Family of 6 - $3.330 / month

More than 50% of those who apply are working families. These are people who can keep a roof over their kids' heads and feed them but because they often go check to check there is money left for gifts when the holidays roll around.

Adopt-A-Family matches needy families to generous donors. Families apply to have their children’s Christmas wish list “adopted” by a donor. Donors purchase 3-4 clothing items, 2-3 toys and a stuffed stocking from the wish list. Donors wrap all gifts, bundle them up and deliver to our donation center mid December.

If you would like to help a family for the holidays, click on the link on the right to print out the Donor Reply Card and get it back to us by email, fax or snail mail.

Notes From Some Thankful Families

During the second week of last December, 180 volunteers unloaded nearly 5,000 bags, boxes, and bikes brought by friends to the Elks Lodge in Woonsocket. These were gifts from kind and generous people in the community who committed to giving the happiness and excitement of Christmas to Woonsocket families in need.

When the week was over, 2,215 children from 1,079 families had received these gifts. These children were blessed by the efforts of people who will never know them; people who show the true spirit of the holiday.

As always, we thank our faithful donors for bringing Christmas smiles to these 2,215 children.

Here are some letters we received from the families.

Another Very Successful Year

Stay tuned for details and photos of a week that brought gifts to 2,215 children!

Distribution Week is Here

Today starts Distribution Week here at Adopt-a-Family.

This is the 7 days when our donors bring us 4,000 bikes, bags and boxes of gifts to give to kids of low-income folks who struggle monthly to feed and house their families. When the holidays come, there's nothing left in the budget for gifts for their children.

It's a big job but through the efforts of everyone, this week 2,207 children will receive gifts of much-needed clothing and much-desired toys! Thank you all!

We Bring Out the Best in People

An email we received this morning:

Good Morning,

My family and I went to see the Christmas Carol this past Sunday.  It was a wonderful production.  As we all sat there watching the Cratchit Family and their struggles through the Christmas Holiday Season, it made us realize that there are young children out there who need help from those of us who are more fortunate.  My family has been a donor of Adopt-A-Family before; probably about (6) years ago.  It was an awesome feeling!

In light of this, after the show, we got together and decided to forego all Christmas Secret Santa Exchanges in favor of giving a family Christmas Gifts for their Children. 

I have attached the completed application. 

We still have 250 kids waiting for sponsors. Send an email to WoonsocketAdoptaFamily@gmail.com if you would like to help a family.

Thank you!

We Need Your Help

Here's the good news:

As of today we have 910 families with approximately 1,900 children matched with donors. That means these kids will be receiving gifts of much-needed clothing and much-desired toys and games for Christmas.

Here's the bad news:

We have approximately 315 kids in 125 families with no donors. 

After ten years of saying YES to every eligible family who applied, it looks like we will be saying NO to some children this year.

The number of families who have come to us for help has not increased significantly but the number of donors who have offered their help has decreased.

The amount of families asking for help will likely increase as we get closer to Distribution Week. Even though the last date to apply was November 15, we always have families in crisis come to us for help after a house fire, eviction, fleeing domestic abuse, illness, theft, etc. We always find a way.

We know everyone has been affected by the poor economy in the last year. So if you find it difficult to provide for a child on your own, team up with a co-worker, a neighbor, even others in your family. 

So our message is plain:  Please help by offering to provide some gifts of clothes and toys for a needy child. If you can help please fill out a Donor Reply Card and get it back to us as soon as possible.

A child will thank you.

We Still Need Donors

Over the last two months people from all over New England and beyond have contacted Adopt-a-Family offering help.  They have offered to take a wish list and use it to bring a bit of Christmas joy to a needy child.

These are children they will never know; children who will never know who their Secret Santa was.  What the people who give will know is that they made a child smile, squeal or laugh when they opened those gifts.

The gifts they ask for might be a Barbie, Spider Man, a remote-control car, a baby doll, Pokeman cards, Monopoly or arts and crafts. Or they might ask for something as basic as a coat or a pair of pajamas, or even a blanket and pillow.

It's Not Too Late to Adopt A Family

If you are interested in helping this year, you can print the Donor Reply Card from the link on the right, fill it out and send it back via email, fax or snail mail.  

We will get the information about your family out to you ASAP.

Our email address is: Adopt-a-Family, Inc.

You can also fax it to: (401)-489-7611

If you have any questions call us at (401) 766-2291