Neighbor News
Family-to-Family Offers Compassionate Holiday Giving Programs
The national nonprofit's unique charitable programs connect neighboring families to bring gifts and holiday cheer to those in need.
As 2015 comes to a close, people begin to look for ways to give back and help those in need, especially around the holidays. Family-to-Family, a 501c(3) national nonprofit hunger and poverty relief organization, offers a variety of programs that families can participate in to help neighbors in need this holiday season.
The New York based nonprofit has taken traditional end-of-year giving a step further with programs that are designed to teach empathy and offer a more meaningful experience by connecting donor families to their neighboring families in need. Family-to-Family prides itself on creating unique and compassionate projects, each one different, fun and engaging for both those giving and those receiving, with a special emphasis on children’s programs. Kids who are given the opportunity to learn about and experience empathy firsthand through their actions for others can leave a positive, lasting impression.
“Our hope is that by offering hands-on ways for families to reach out to those in need, the tradition of giving will become rooted in the culture of the family,” says Pam Koner, Family-to-Family’s founder. “Getting children involved in giving is particularly important to me, because I believe that when children are taught to be compassionate givers at a young age, they’ll be givers for the rest of their lives.”
Find out what's happening in Scarsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Whether it’s your first time looking for a fun giving project during the holidays or charitable giving is an annual tradition in your family, Family-to-Family offers something for everyone and invites you to take part.
Find out what's happening in Scarsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Help your child be a giver. This thoughtful project asks her or him to “give up” one gift they likely would have gotten this holiday season. Together go shopping for that gift, and then donate it to a child with less. Or do it yourself for another adult.
Creative, socially conscious gifts for the holidays or a birthday. Your donation in the name of a friend or loved one will provide badly needed groceries or a vegetable garden kit for a struggling family, or a birthday in a box for a child in need.
Stuff a holiday stocking for a child (or adult) living in poverty. We’ll link you with a shelter where you can drop off your stocking. Or you can ship it to one of the communities where we help!
Drop off unwrapped toys and wrapping paper at a local shelter, or ship them to one of our communities. With your donation, parents unable to afford gifts will be able to “shop” for just the right present for their own kids.
Shop for and then put together baskets of holiday dinner staples for a family in need. We’ll link you with a local pantry that would love to give your donation to one of the families they serve.
If you or your family would like to help others beyond the holidays, Family-to-Family also offer a Calendar of Giving for 2016, featuring 12 programs - one for each month - and an easy-to-follow checklist for each corresponding project. Great idea for a New Year’s resolution, too!
To learn more about Family-to-Family, its programs and who they serve, visit www.family-to-family.org and follow on Facebook and Twitter @famtofamily.
