Christmas in Vancouver: Adopt-A-Family
byUpdate 2010 The Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program is back for 2010.
Last year I wrote a few blurbs about the Adopt-a-Family program through the Surrey Christmas Bureau. I’m now noticing a lot of Google search love from people seeking to learn more so here’s the scoop:
The Adopt-A-Family program is a way to match up families in need with caring families, business and other organizations in the Surrey area.
An Adopt-A-Family participant takes on the responsibility of taking care of the sponsored families on Christmas Day. This includes providing Christmas breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the family as well as gifts for all the children. We like our adoptive partners to try and provide a Christmas stocking and a small and medium-sized gift for each child. Often our sponsors are very generous, an activity we encourage as good for one’s soul.
If you would like to become an Adopt-A-Family sponsor, please contact the Adopt-A-Family program at 604-585-9670 or 604-585-9676 or click the email link below and in the subject put ‘Adopt-A-Family’. [Surrey Christmas Bureau]
In Vancouver, a similar program is run by the YWCA through the “Sponsor a Family” program:
Make a difference in the lives of women and children by sponsoring a low-income family this holiday season. By becoming a sponsor you will be matched with a family and provided with their “wish list.” Sponsors then shop for food and gifts and deliver the hamper to the family. [YWCA]
These are just two of many ways to make a difference this holiday season. Check out their websites or the sites of other local causes to see how you can help – either by making a donation online, organizing an office gift, or even volunteering your time.
AND if you don’t want to sponsor people, how about great blue herons? Learn more about the “Adopt-A-Nest” program via the Stanley Park Ecological Society.
Update: The Salvation Army was kind enough to send me some information about their Adopt-a-Family program, which can be found on their site.
3 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Thanks for this, Rebecca… awesome info and reminder. We do this every year.
We’ve done it for many years through the kids’ preschool as well as at church. It is really good for the kids because they really get involved. Too often christmas becomes all about wanting this toy or that toy but when they hear about other kids who don’t have much they get really excited about picking things out for them (and often want to give away some of their faves too). It makes everyone feel good to know they can add a little brightness to someone else’s holiday.
Another option is — St.James Church (Anglican, corner of gore/cordova, dtes) creates small boxes and their priest-on-the-street gives them out as gifts at Christmas to his living-outside contacts. The contents are the fundamentals – warm wool socks, chocolate bars, gift cards to Army & Navy etc. The church website is http://www.stjames.bc.ca, I think.