GUELPH – It’s not yet December, but the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s Adopt-A-Family headquarters on Huron Street is a hive of activity, with donations being dropped off and sorted, and a team of volunteer “elves” checking lists and wrapping gifts.
But there is one significant problem.
There are currently not enough donors to support all the families in need.
“As of today, we still have 303 families waiting for support, which is unusually high for this time of year,” director of community programs Megan Harron said in a Nov. 20 interview.
The program, now in its 37th year, matches families who are struggling financially during the holiday season with donors who can help make kids’ Christmas wishes come true.
There are various ways to make donations – cash, toys and gift cards are all accepted – but many donors choose to take on the task of shopping for a family or independent youth.
They get a wish list, plus some info, such as children’s ages, and a deadline to drop off items.
Families are referred to the program by social community agencies in Guelph and Wellington County.
“They’re the ones that do the screening and have verified that families are in need of support,” Harron said.
Adopt-A-Family volunteer Elisha Funk unpacks donations purchased for an independent youth at the program’s headquarters on Huron Street in Guelph.
Photo by Jessica Lovell
Referrals start in late September or early October, and there is no hard cut-off date, but Harron said the Children’s Foundation is currently pausing intake to the program to deal with the backlog of families waiting for donors.
“We’re calling on the community to support us with that,” she said.
Harron said in 2022 the program saw a five per cent increase in referrals over the previous year, and then another 5% jump in 2023, “so a 10% increase in just two seasons, which is significant, especially when the volume we see is already quite high.”
Last year, the total number of families referred to the program was 1,585, and that included 250 late, or what Harron called “emergency,” referrals.
“This year, we’ve already surpassed 1,585,” she said.
That number translates to more than 3,500 children and youth who have a better holiday experience because of the program, she said.
Historically, about 75% of the families receiving support are in Guelph and the remaining 25% are in Wellington County’s seven lower-tier municipalities.
As the need in Guelph increases, “we’re also seeing an increase in need across the county,” Harron said, noting families in the county also face unique challenges.
Overall, Harron said, more people seem to be struggling.
“The cost of living is continuing to go up exponentially, and everybody’s feeling it,” she said.
“For families that were already just making ends meet, it’s not possible to do that anymore.”
This is why the Children’s Foundation needs the community to pitch in.
Adopt-A-Family volunteer Heather Kendall shelves donated books at the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s Adopt-A-Family headquarters at 69 Huron St. in Guelph. The foundation is still in need of about 300 donors to “adopt” families and provide gifts for them this holiday season, but donations of individual toys, cash and gift cards are also welcome. Photo by Jessica Lovell
Volunteer support is already strong.
Harron said more than 65 volunteers support the program, including a couple who have been doing it for 20 years, contributing close to 3,000 hours.
“Adopt-A-Family runs on elf power,” she said. “It wouldn’t happen without the volunteer support.”
But the biggest need is donors.
“If people can’t support a family, or shopping is not accessible to them, there are other options of ways to give,” said Harron.
Each family gets a grocery-needs gift card of $100 to help them buy what they might need, so donations of grocery gift cards are welcome.
Cash, which is used to purchase these gift cards, is also welcome.
The foundation gets a 3% charitable discount through FundScrip when purchasing gift cards, which “helps us stretch the dollars even further,” Harron said.
The foundation also has a “toy store” of donated items it can add to a family’s delivery if donors come up short, so toy donations are also welcome.
“We try to keep it equitable for families,” said Harron, noting the suggested spending limit is $150 per child.
“We want to be accessible to anybody who wants to give,” she said.
The very last day for donor drop-offs is Dec. 10, so the sooner donors sign up, the better.
To learn more about the program or to become a donor, visit childrensfoudnation.org, email aaf@childrensfoundation.org or call 519-826-9551, ext. 136.
