Once again, this year, our much-loved Christmas Presence program has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we have come up with an alternative to enable us to assist client families in need this holiday season.
Groups, families, and individuals are welcome to sponsor a family or families that request holiday assistance this year financially through the purchase of gifts for them. Sponsors will be asked to contact their sponsored family directly to get ideas for Christmas gifts and make arrangements for delivery or pick-up. There will be no suggested expenditures for each family, as we would like sponsors to help in the way they best see fit.
Clients who are in need of assistance this holiday season will be asked to notify Heart to Heart by phone or email to hearttoheart@fcchurch.com. Staff will get contact information and family make-up from the clients and pass the information along to our dedicated volunteer and social worker extraordinaire, Kitty Rohrer. Kitty will then match inquiring families with those looking to sponsor them.
We will accept sponsors until December 15 or until all families are matched! We will continue to accept client families through December 5. After that date, all inquiries, both clients and sponsors, will be referred to other programs by our team of resource volunteers. This small group answers emails and voicemails received through Heart to Heart’s resource line at 614-488-0681 x241. The group is made up of social workers and community advocates familiar with programs available to our clients.
We are eager to help our clients in need, but also cautious about large gatherings as the pandemic continues. We encourage both sponsor and sponsored families to follow appropriate social-distancing guidelines and wear masks, especially if unvaccinated. Hopefully, this effort will prove to be a sufficient alternative to Christmas Presence. We hope to continue the tradition of partnering with the Trading Post again next year!
If you have any questions about the program, please contact us at HearttoHeart@fcchurch.com.
For information about our holiday hours and closings, click here.