ADOPT–A–FAMILY
Christmas 2012
GUIDELINES FOR SPONSORS
Dear Adopt-A-Family Sponsor:
First, thank you for accepting the responsibility and challenge of adopting a family
in St. Vincent de Paul’s program. This is a significant commitment on your part
and we believe you will find it a very rewarding one.
This letter explains the program in detail. Please read it over carefully, even if you
are a past sponsor, since a few things have changed.
HOW FAMILIES ARE CHOSEN. Families are chosen and carefully matched
with a sponsor by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference of Our Lady of
Mt. Carmel. All are families in need already receiving assistance from SVdP. All
are checked to ensure they have not applied for help from another agency.
Families are chosen regardless of race, religion, or national origin. Each sponsor
will be assigned a SVdP Liaison to answer questions that may come up.
YOUR COMMITMENT. Christmas is a special time for young children, so we
are focusing on them. The sponsor buys and wraps presents for the household
family members:
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2 new presents (one toy, the other clothes) for each child between 2 and 14 years
1 present for children 15 and older
1 present for each parent and grandparent in the household
A full Christmas dinner for the family (uncooked)
The sponsor also buys all of the uncooked food items required for a complete
Christmas dinner, either traditional or Hispanic. See last page for food suggestions.
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COSTS. The cost to adopt a family will of course depend on the size of the family
you adopt. General guidelines are:
COST OF CHRISTMAS MEAL ITEMS: $8 to $10 a person
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: $35 to $45 a person (average)
We have included a Christmas Dinner Suggestions page only as a guideline. The
list includes ingredients for a traditional American dinner and a traditional
Hispanic dinner. The grocery stores in the area stock all the items listed.
We suggest a $35-$45 per person guideline for presents. You are not obligated to
spend that amount. Some sponsors will spend more than the guidelines, while
others who are creative or shop the pre-Christmas sales, spend less.
WHAT INFORMATION IS PROVIDED. The enclosed form provides you with
the sex, age, and clothing size for each member of the family, as well as their
preference for presents (clothes and/or toys). You are not bound by any stated
preference. The sizes on the form were collected during home visits as early as
October. Visiting the family will give you a chance to check sizes more precisely.
WHAT DO I DO NOW THAT I HAVE MY FAMILY? First, review the
enclosed form. If you decide NOT to “adopt” the family, please call us
immediately. We will try to assign the family to another sponsor. Sometimes two
sponsors are asked to jointly adopt a family, usually because the family is very
large and beyond the resources of one sponsor. If this applies to your family,
please contact the other sponsor and coordinate your plans.
CONTACT THE FAMILY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This will relieve their
anxiety about being adopted for Christmas and give you a chance to meet them in
their own home. Don’t wait until a few days before Christmas. Some parents start
to panic as Christmas is near. If they haven’t heard from a sponsor, they may go
out and spend the rent money on presents.
When you reach out to the family, you can see for yourself what is (and may not
be) appropriate to their circumstances. Most families are dealing with problems of
unemployment, illness, or some other luckless condition. Some may not appear
poor but may be burdened with the costs of devastating health problems. Many are
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single parents. Regardless of the reasons for the family’s need, we know you will
extend respect, kindness, and the love of Christ just as you would want others to
treat your own family.
If you do not want your adopted family to have your home phone number, dial *67
before you call the family. If you get a message such as “this phone does not
accept blocked calls,” then you can sometimes dial 1-480 before the family’s
number to get through. We have required all families to disable their call block by
dialing #87 so their sponsors and SVdP can contact them.
TOY RECOMMENDATIONS. Please try to avoid expensive (new bicycles,
computers, Wii, Xbox 360’s and faddish items such as $150 athletic shoes. Even if
you have the means to give expensive presents, remember that these often create a
problem between children, their neighbors and relatives after you leave. If you are
determined to spend significantly more than $35-$45, we suggest you consider one
$35 toy and then several practical items (books, puzzles, games, etc.). Many
children request a bicycle – something that far exceeds the $35-$45 guideline –
unless you have access to good, safe, used bikes. If you choose to buy a bicycle for
a child, please also provide a helmet.
OTHER GIFTS. “Family” gifts – crock pots, electric frying pans, towels or bed
linens – may be appropriate for parents or grandparents. But keep in mind even an
80 year old grandmother would enjoy a personal gift.
INTERPRETERS. You may be assigned a family where the adult(s) speak little
or no English. We ask that you seek out a friend or neighbor who speaks enough
Spanish to help as a translator when you visit the family. If you use the children in
the family to translate, you might spoil Christmas surprises! St. Vincent de Paul
has members who may be able to help, but these people quickly get swamped with
requests. We hope that you will make a real effort to find a translator before
calling on us.
WHEN TO DELIVER. Presents should be wrapped and delivered on or before
Thursday, December 20, 2012. It’s nice to have presents under the tree for a
couple of days before Christmas! Food can be delivered at the same time, although
you may want to talk with the family about available refrigerator space. Over the
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years, we have even had families without the ability to cook a large turkey, so a
pre-cooked meal had to be purchased.
OTHER ITEMS. In the past, some sponsors have also provided a Christmas tree
and decorations. This is up to your discretion. We always recommend artificial
trees because of fire hazards and old electric wiring in some homes. If decorations
are provided, we recommend ornaments, tinsel, garlands, and other non-electrical
items. If you are willing to purchase a tree, check first how much room the family
has in their living space. If the family has very little space, you might instead
consider a small Nativity scene which can be placed on a table.
Finally. Lack of a “thank you” from the family does not necessarily signify lack
of gratitude. It’s difficult to depend on others for your family’s needs. Sometimes
it’s too embarrassing or awkward. In the eyes of God, no act of kindness requires a
“thank you” from the recipients.
Your sacrifice has a tremendous psychological impact on your adopted family.
Should your situation change at the last minute, please call us immediately so that
we do not leave a family without a Christmas meal and presents.
On behalf of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,
thank you for your kind and generous spirit. Through person-to-person
contact, our hope is to bring love, peace, and joy to our brother or sister
suffering.
As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me. Matthew 25:40
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CHRISTMAS DINNER SUGGESTIONS
Traditional
Item
Turkey
Stuffing mix
Celery
Onion
Alum. Roast pan
Gravy
Dinner Rolls
Marg./butter
Cranberry Sauce
Peas
Potatoes or Yams
Milk
Seasonal pie
Oranges
Mixed nuts
2-3 People
12 lb.
Sm. Box
1
1
1
1 jar
1bag
1 lb.
1 can
1 can
6
½ gal.
1 pie
6
1 lb.
4-6 People
15 lb.
lg. box
2
2
1
2 jars
1 bag
1 lb.
1 can
2 cans
9
1 gal.
1 pie
9
1 ½ lb.
7 or more
18+ lbs.
lg. box
3
3
1
3 jars
2 bags
1 lb.
2 cans
3 cans
12
1 gal.
2 pies
12
2 lbs.
HISPANIC (Tamales)
Pork roast
Corn husks
Maseca
Red Chili pods
Lard/Shortening
Corn or Flour tortillas
Refried beans/pinto beans
Long grain rice 1lb.
Fresh green chiles
Kernel corn
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Fruit juice
Cake mix
Sweetened Condensed milk
Oranges/Tangerines
5 lbs.
½ lb.
5 lbs.
½ lb.
1 lb.
1 doz.
2 cans
1 lb.
1 can
1 lb.
l head
l lg. can
l box
1 can
6
7 lbs.
1 lb.
7 lbs.
½ lb.
2 lbs.
1 doz.
3 cans
2 lbs.
1 lb.
2 cans
1 ½ lbs.
1 head
2 lg. cans
1 box
2 cans
9
10 lbs.
1 ½ lb.
10 lbs.
1 lb.
2 lbs.
2 doz.
4 cans
3 lbs.
2 lb.
3 cans
2 lbs.
2 heads
3 lg. cans
2 boxes
3 cans
12
For the traditional meals, the sponsor providers all of the ingredients. For tamales, ask the
family if they want the ingredients or ready-made tamales. Making tamales is part of the fun of
Christmas.
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