As November begins, Springfield College is launching its annual Adopt-a-Family program, a holiday tradition that invites students, faculty, staff, teams and clubs to fulfill the wishlists of local families.
The program has run for more than 26 years. Mackenzie Miller, the graduate fellow in the Office of Spiritual Life, who is organizing this year’s effort said it grew out of a desire to meet community needs around the holidays.
“The idea is that everyone deserves to feel special and remembered during the holiday season, which can be expressed in various ways, including gift giving,” Miller said.
Unlike many donation drives, Adopt-a-Family aims to fulfill actual wishlists, so a child can receive the specific toy or piece of clothing they want. Parents are encouraged to ask for what they want in addition to what they need.
“Their family may not be able to provide for their wants on their own, which is where we come in as a community,” Miller said — perfectly emphasizing the college’s humanities mission.
The process begins in early November, when campus groups and individuals complete a Google Form describing what they can contribute, whether by adopting a family or donating. Once organizers have a sense of campus interest and capacity, they contact the Young Parent Living Program (YPLP), which provides teenage parents and their children with a safe place to live. The program also works to connect residents with resources, life skills and long-term self-sufficiency goals.
YPLP staff then send a list of families along with their wants and needs, which organizers use to match families with campus participants. Participants shop for the items, which typically range from necessities such as coats and hygiene products to toys, games and clothing a family has asked for.
For Miller, the program is personal. She took part as an undergraduate.
“Each year, it was a joy to go to the store with my friends and go down the list of what the family we were paired with wants or needs, and then figure out how to give them the best holiday season we are able to,” Miller said. “I look forward to being on the planning and organizational side of the program this year, so I am able to learn more about how we can show up for our community.”
Over the years, the program has faced challenges, but the campus response has helped overcome them. “Volunteer participation is rarely if ever a challenge on this campus, and I am really grateful to be part of a community that wants to empower each other,” Miller said.
Students, faculty and staff can get involved by filling out the Google Form linked in the campus community email sent on Nov. 2 or reach out to Spiritual Life. The form asks how much a person or group can give, and organizers can also accept donations from those who are not able to support an entire family. Looking ahead, organizers like Miller hope to keep growing the program. “In the next few years, we hope to continue expanding the program to reach as many families as possible during the holiday season.”
(Photo courtesy of Missouri AFL-CIO)