Help Adopt A Family make sure no family goes unmatched this holiday season
Oakland Family Services needs your help to build brighter futures for children in need through our Adopt A Family program. We currently have 254 families who have requested help in providing gifts and necessities for their more than 600 combined children this holiday season, and more than 140 of these families are still waiting to be matched with donors.
All of the families hoping to be adopted are clients who are working closely with Oakland Family Services, whether they are receiving care through our mental health and substance use treatment programs, strengthening their parenting skills through our Early Childhood Services, caring for children in our foster care program or attending preschool at one of our Children’s Learning Centers.
This year, we again are asking donors to provide gift cards in lieu of presents in order to limit contact between donors, volunteers, staff and families, and to allow families to shop in whatever way is most accessible to them, as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Each family on our waiting list has shared a touching story about the challenges they are working to overcome, along with a wishlist of items they hope to be able to purchase with their gift cards.
By far, winter clothing is the No. 1 most commonly requested item on our families’ wishlists. Other commonly listed household needs are bedsheets, gas money, cleaning supplies, pots and pans, and personal care items like soap and shampoo. Many families with little ones have asked for gift cards to cover diapers and wipes.
Examples of real Wishlists submitted to our Adopt A Family program:
“We need your help to ensure that Ethan will have a warm winter coat to wear this winter, that Daria can open the Barbie doll she has wished for all year, that baby Dillion will have some new teething toys and a soft blanket for his foster mom to snuggle him in, and that Mary will be able to purchase some paper products and disinfecting wipes for her household to keep her family safe and healthy,” said Engagement and Special Events Coordinator Katie Henwood.
Among the families on our Adopt A Family waiting list are:
A single mother of six who has requested help purchasing winter clothing, children’s books, diapers and Pull-Ups, arts and crafts supplies, Band-Aids and kitchen utensils.
A full-time college student who is a single mom to two toddlers. She hopes to be able to purchase bedroom furniture for her children, winter coats, toiletries and cleaning supplies.
A 5-year-old foster child whose foster parents would like to buy her new bedsheets, towels, snow boots, jeans and socks.
A single father with sole custody of his son, who hopes to be able to purchase items like winter clothing, toddler toys, bath towels, a toaster, pots and pans, drinking glasses, and cleaning supplies.
A mother who recently separated from an abusive husband and needs help affording bedsheets, pots and pans, and winter clothing for her three daughters.
A 13-year-old boy in kinship care who recently lost both parents. His relative caregiver hopes to be able to purchase new shoes, winter clothes, sheets and cleaning supplies.
So many other families whose children deserve to have their needs met and to have gifts to open this holiday season!
How you can help
Click here to sign up to adopt a family (or multiple families)! Individuals, businesses, organizations and groups of people pooling together are all welcome to sign up. As you fill out the form, you’ll be able to choose the family size/number of children you would like to adopt. Keep in mind that there is no minimum amount that you must spend, but we do recommend spending $50-75 per child, plus $100-150 per family for shared household items. You are not obligated to buy gift cards for every item or every store on the family’s wishlist.
After you have been matched with a family, you will receive that family’s profile, wishlist and confidential code, as well as instructions for purchasing and delivering or mailing your gift cards.
If you’re interested in supporting the program without adopting an entire family, you can click here to donate to our Adopt A Family Fund, which will be used to purchase gift cards for families who are not able to be matched with a donor. One hundred percent of donations to the fund will go directly to a family in need.
