With Christmas approaching, many families are faced with the difficulty of getting their children presents in hopes of preserving their child’s spirit of Christmas. Waking up on Christmas morning with no presents, let alone not having a tree, is a sad reality that many children live with. 

In order to ease the financial strains that come with the holidays, Holy Family has taken action to help families who are in need. Adopt-A-Family is a program in which students at Holy Family donate money and help purchase gifts for those less fortunate than us.

Every year, each B period class is assigned a family in proportion to the number of people in their class to ensure each Adopt-A-Family member gets something on their list. To begin, select students from each B period class volunteer to go out and buy the gifts for the family members.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go out and buy gifts for my assigned family. Honestly, doing this felt like a normal occasion, just going out and getting presents for my family or friends for Christmas. But writing this article now makes me realize just how privileged we are in being able to do this for others.

The fact that buying things at Christmas time was a normality for me just shows how blessed we are that we can do that for one another. And if we can do it for our family and friends, then making an effort to help those in need is even better. Reading my assigned family’s list was an eye-opening experience because the families were asking for basic necessities rather than luxurious presents. 

Mrs. Livermore, a teacher who has repeatedly been involved in the program, said that, “Over the years, Holy Family has been working with local families to help provide an experience as close to Christmas as possible.” In the past, Holy Family would participate with other organizations like Operation Christmas Child or set up a hat and mitten tree to donate to the PROP Shop in Eden Prairie, until Mr. Dols had the idea to begin Adopt-A-Family. 

Holy Family tries to do a lot for those in need, whether it be through food drives, raising money for our sister schools, or the many service trips offered. What makes Adopt-A-Family so unique is that its emphasis is local. All of the gifts provided are sent to families in the metro area. 

Mrs. Livermore actually had a very personal experience one year when she was able to provide gifts through the Adopt-A-Family program to a family friend of hers. This specific family had just had their father pass away, who at the time was the only one working because the mother was expecting a child and already had two children at home. Mrs. Livermore and her class provided gifts to the family who was not only in a difficult emotional situation, but under financial stress as well.

The class was able to provide a small sense of normality and happiness to the family in a time of need. Mrs. Livermore added that, “When I was in high school we also did Adopt-A-Family. Because I was in student council, we actually had the opportunity to deliver the gifts. This was humbling because when they received their presents, they were so grateful. They are really just another human in need that could easily be us.“ 

The bigger thing to remember is that without our support, these families would often be going with nothing. It’s a good reminder to us that not everyone is as fortunate as we are.

By taking part in Adopt-A-Family, we are putting our faith into action. This is what we are called to do, and that is why it is such a great program for both those giving, and receiving.