Adopt-A-Family Returns For 29th Year: HPC Rallies Volunteers To Holiday Shop For Families

ORLEANS – For staff and volunteers with the Homeless Prevention Council, the holiday season is a hectic time of year. But it’s also the most enjoyable.

 “We’re really lucky to have a very generous, supportive community that rises up to meet the need of the people who are living here,” said Hadley Luddy, the nonprofit’s CEO.

 Few events better embody the council’s mission of addressing the various needs of people across the Lower and Outer Cape than the council’s annual Adopt-a-Family program. Now in its 29th year, the program pairs volunteer donors and shoppers with local families in need of help providing gifts during the holiday season.

 Jenna Smith organizes the event with her husband Sean; she said as the cost of food, housing and other goods continues to rise, so too does participation in the program. In 2023, the council served 226 families and 477 children through the program. As of Nov. 22, 178 families, including more than 400 children, had already signed up to participate in Adopt-a-Family this year, she said.

 “So we’re close to last year and we’re nearing Thanksgiving,” she said, adding that it’s expected that 2024 will “skyrocket” past last year’s participation numbers. “We’re still having folks roll in everyday.”

 But the council’s dedicated crew of holiday volunteers are game. Families prepare their wish lists and a volunteer shopper is assigned to shop for them. This year, families have the option of requesting two wish gifts to go with a shirt, coat and pair of pants in their child’s size, or pick one large gift up to $200.

 “The beauty of the program is it’s so customized, so it takes that extra time,” Luddy said. “Jenna’s getting every detail from the families in terms of what a child really wants in terms of the type of gift and the type of clothing. And the donors are all out there taking the time to put those pieces all together.”

 Smith said Legos and Barbie dolls are among the most highly requested items this year. Bikes are always on families’ lists, and the council works with Walmart to provide bicycles for children as requested. Approximately 175 bikes had been requested as of last week, she said.

 Gift cards are also being accepted, Luddy said.

 “Teeangers always want gift cards too,” she said. “They love their buying power, so there’s all sorts of ways to help support the families that we’re working with.”

 Smith said as of last week, there were still 168 children that needed to be paired with a volunteer shopper. The last day for volunteers to drop off gifts for their families is Dec. 4. When gifts come in, the council arranges for gifts to be delivered to families’ homes.

 The annual growth in the number of families participating in Adopt-a-Family speaks to the need that exists on the Lower and Outer Cape. But Luddy said that growth also shows that the council’s services, as well as those of likeminded nonprofits in the region, are being well utilized.

 “Oftentimes we talk as a team about the fact that it actually also shows that people are asking for help, and we want them to ask for help,” she said. “We are in the prevention business and we need people to reach out to get this kind of support.”