Adopt-A-Family prepares to serve 400 families in 2012
“We have never had a [Christmas] tree,” a single mother of a toddler told an Adopt-A-Family volunteer.
The full-time UCLA student — who, apparently, was abandoned at an early age — and her child share an apartment with her sister in the skid row area in downtown Los Angeles, she told the Adopt-A-Family volunteer interviewing her in preparation for the annual giving program. But while she clearly was in need of certain necessities, the young lady did not ask for much; the Christmas tree, though, was important to her.
Hers is one of many stories that Adopt-A-Family volunteers heard during the three-month registration period when interview teams visited families living in “dilapidated buildings” (as one volunteer reported) in the skid row area to determine their needs so they can celebrate Christmas with joy and dignity.
“When the team shows up, the word spreads like wildfire,” reported volunteer Jorge Maza, noting that kids run up and down the stairs eyeing the yearly visitors armed with a clipboard. “They know they will be asked what they would like to receive for Christmas. They remember the joy of previous years.”
Maza recalled how he entered a “dark and crowded” single-room apartment where children welcomed him with bright and excited eyes, except for a six-year-old girl who rested on her mother’s lap with a sad face.
Then he learned the little girl suffers from recurrent urinary tract infections that the doctor suspects came from repeated use of the only two toilets that several families share on the same floor.
“We dare not hope that such buildings are condemned,” said Maza. “Where would these families go to live if that happens? We just return each year with a little measure of joy for them.”
Seeking volunteers
Thanks to the detailed work of many volunteers, this year Adopt-A-Family — an outreach program of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels coordinated by the archdiocesan Mission Office — has added 100 families to its list, for a total of 400 families who will receive boxes full of presents on Dec. 15.
Since it was launched 23 years ago, it has made possible for thousands of struggling families with children in the skid row area to celebrate Christmas with gifts and food generously donated by the local community.
More than 25 Catholic schools hold food and gift collections in weeks preceding the event. The program also offers an opportunity for high school seniors to complete their Christian service hours.
Organizers are still seeking volunteers to assist in sorting and packaging foods (Dec. 1, 8 and 10), gift wrapping (Dec. 8 and 13), and delivery on Dec. 15, beginning with a 7 a.m. prayer service and blessing of boxes.
Support is also needed to help unload cars and trucks on the week before delivery and setup in the Cathedral’s parking structure.
Family profiles are still available for adoption. In the coming weeks, The Tidings will feature several of their stories.
For more information about adopting a family, to volunteer or for donations, call (213) 680-8766 or visit www.olacathedral.org and click on the Adopt-A-Family link. Donations can be sent to Adopt-A-Family, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Please make checks payable to Adopt-A-Family. Credit card donations are also accepted.
The full-time UCLA student — who, apparently, was abandoned at an early age — and her child share an apartment with her sister in the skid row area in downtown Los Angeles, she told the Adopt-A-Family volunteer interviewing her in preparation for the annual giving program. But while she clearly was in need of certain necessities, the young lady did not ask for much; the Christmas tree, though, was important to her.
Hers is one of many stories that Adopt-A-Family volunteers heard during the three-month registration period when interview teams visited families living in “dilapidated buildings” (as one volunteer reported) in the skid row area to determine their needs so they can celebrate Christmas with joy and dignity.
“When the team shows up, the word spreads like wildfire,” reported volunteer Jorge Maza, noting that kids run up and down the stairs eyeing the yearly visitors armed with a clipboard. “They know they will be asked what they would like to receive for Christmas. They remember the joy of previous years.”
Maza recalled how he entered a “dark and crowded” single-room apartment where children welcomed him with bright and excited eyes, except for a six-year-old girl who rested on her mother’s lap with a sad face.
Then he learned the little girl suffers from recurrent urinary tract infections that the doctor suspects came from repeated use of the only two toilets that several families share on the same floor.
“We dare not hope that such buildings are condemned,” said Maza. “Where would these families go to live if that happens? We just return each year with a little measure of joy for them.”
Seeking volunteers
Thanks to the detailed work of many volunteers, this year Adopt-A-Family — an outreach program of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels coordinated by the archdiocesan Mission Office — has added 100 families to its list, for a total of 400 families who will receive boxes full of presents on Dec. 15.
Since it was launched 23 years ago, it has made possible for thousands of struggling families with children in the skid row area to celebrate Christmas with gifts and food generously donated by the local community.
More than 25 Catholic schools hold food and gift collections in weeks preceding the event. The program also offers an opportunity for high school seniors to complete their Christian service hours.
Organizers are still seeking volunteers to assist in sorting and packaging foods (Dec. 1, 8 and 10), gift wrapping (Dec. 8 and 13), and delivery on Dec. 15, beginning with a 7 a.m. prayer service and blessing of boxes.
Support is also needed to help unload cars and trucks on the week before delivery and setup in the Cathedral’s parking structure.
Family profiles are still available for adoption. In the coming weeks, The Tidings will feature several of their stories.
For more information about adopting a family, to volunteer or for donations, call (213) 680-8766 or visit www.olacathedral.org and click on the Adopt-A-Family link. Donations can be sent to Adopt-A-Family, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Please make checks payable to Adopt-A-Family. Credit card donations are also accepted.
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