During the holiday season, many parents must make the difficult decision of buying essential groceries instead of toys for their children. This past December, five local families didn’t know where to turn to put food on the table or presents under the tree for their children on Christmas Eve.
When our team and community partners heard that these families were struggling and some children may go without presents this holiday season, we were heartbroken. By this time, many toy drives had already disbursed their toys and the families didn’t have any transportation to attend these events. With only two days left until Christmas, our team united with our local community partners to connect these families to resources to help them purchase groceries and give presents to their kids.
Our Director of Community and Government Affairs, Janet Quintero had the opportunity to meet these families and give them these resources. The parents were relieved and grateful to receive this support and overjoyed to see their children’s faces light up with excitement as they saw the presents. Despite the many challenges they have faced this year, these families were able to have a joyful holiday after all.
Janet shared with us, “It was very meaningful to be part of this holiday miracle. I am fortunate to work in a great organization with amazing individuals and to work closely with selfless community partners who go above and beyond for our community.”
Hearing this story reminded our team what this season is truly about: spreading kindness and showing compassion to our neighbors. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to connect local families with the support they need during tough times. These stories are why our team continues to push our community-wide work forward.
If you and your family need help, please visit uwsn.org/help to get connected to local community organizations and resources providing direct assistance during these challenging times.