Adopt-a-Family

Hundreds of families will have a much merrier Christmas this year because they have been "adopted" by generous families throughout the Twin Cities who have committed to providing them with kindness, warmth, groceries, and gifts to open Christmas morning. Yesterday at 5:00a.m. we kicked off our "Adopt-a-Family Radiothon" and set out to match almost 700 needy families of all sizes--from families of two to families of 12--with those willing to bless others in this unique way. I was fortunate enough to volunteer for this event yesterday, and was amazed to watch the number of families left to be adopted shrink dramatically throughout the day and into the evening as people called in to sign up to adopt. One woman called in near the end of the day and asked how many families hadn't been adopted yet in Anoka county; when we told her there were five left, she said, "I'll take them all," and adopted all five families! Others who called in explained that their entire extended families had decided to forego buying presents for one another this year, and each one of them adopted a family instead.

These acts of generosity amaze and inspire me, but I was equally impressed by how many volunteers came out to help make this daunting endeavor a success. Entire companies came in together to answer phones, mail out "wish lists" to adopters, and happily perform whatever tasks were assigned to them. Other volunteers used their vacation time at their jobs to take the day off and help us out. All of their sacrifices were worthwhile, because although the Adopt-a-Family Radiothon was scheduled to go through the rest of day, by 10:00 this morning every single family had been adopted. Now, in hundreds of households throughout the Twin Cities, there will be presents under the tree where possibly for years before children had gone without, and there will be food on the table that was previously bare. Thank you for making this possible.