Happy holidays for hundreds of families and seniors

by Mary Knippel

John Lynch helping with donations in 2007.

Add a little sparkle to a neighbor’s holiday this year by donating from your heart to Coastside Hope’s Christmas Bureau Adopt-a-Family program and you may receive your own holiday magic in return. Judy O’Leary came with a friend to wrap gifts 25 years ago, and she now coordinates the Adopt-a-Family program.

“Watching this incredible community take part in this program every year,” she said, “I’m always impressed by the generous supportive community we live in.” Last year the program was able to provide a happy holiday for almost 400 families and seniors.

Coastside Hope (formerly known as the Coastside Opportunity Center) was formed in 1976 in response to the Coastside community’s need to provide job placement services for local residents. Over the years new needs were identified and added: social services, immigration support, and transportation. In 2006, celebrating 30 years of offering services to neighbors in need, the organization changed its name from the Coastside Opportunity Center to Coastside Hope to reflect its mission — to give hope.

“Adopt-a-Family is only one of  the programs of Coastside Hope,” O’Leary said, “and we work with most of these families all year long to help them with food and emergency services.” As an active member of the organization’s board for over 25 years, O’Leary has both a historical perspective and a personal connection to the clients and community Coastside Hope serves. “I feel tremendous pride in being a part of an organization that makes such a difference in the quality of life here on the Coastside,” she said.

The Christmas Bureau Adopt-a-Family program is unique in that it serves the entire family. “We didn’t want it to be just the children,” said Delores Crabb, long-time volunteer and creator of the program’s annual poster. “The parents work hard in these families and we wanted them to be acknowledged by Santa also.”

Recipients are residents of the Coastside, who live and work here, contributing to the community and making it run. They work in the fields, hotels, farms and the harbor. “It’s not just our farm workers who are adopted,” Crabb said. “We have fisherman as well as seniors and regular people who are living on that small income. They don’t have family around so this helps to make it a nice holiday for a lot of people.”

Work begins in early October for the Adopt-a-Family program, which relies entirely on volunteers. Clients come to the offices of Coastside Hope and are interviewed to make sure they qualify for assistance. Participants in the program are low-income families and seniors on fixed incomes who must reside on the San Mateo County Coastside from Montara to Pescadero to be eligible.

In early November, O’Leary matches families with donors and letters go out along with a wish list of the family and detailed coded profile; the profile provides information to assist in shopping such as sizes, sex and ages — but no names. The lists are usually very basic: a sweatshirt and jeans, a jacket and socks, or a backpack and notebooks. Donors are advised to spend approximately $50-$60 per family member. Individual donors as well as groups such as the Coastside Women’s Club, the American   Association of University Women,   the Unknown Motorcycle Club of El Granada, local firefighters, schools, businesses and churches participate annually.

When questioned about the best part of her job, O’Leary said, “the pick-up nights, when the families come to get their gifts and I see the children waiting in line with such eager looks on their faces. Also the satisfaction of knowing that we have helped make the holidays more joyful for the families and seniors who we serve. And the two wonderful women I work with, Ruth Rafello and Delores Crabb.”

Neighbor to neighbor, the Adopt-a-Family program succeeds because there are so many ways to get involved; anyone can help. Some volunteers make a commitment to shop for adopted seniors or families. Other supporters provide cash or checks,  and volunteers use these funds to shop for those who haven’t been adopted. Some sponsors donate new clothes, toys and small gift items that are used to complete the wish lists. And other volunteers come to the warehouse in Princeton to wrap gifts.

“We encourage volunteers to shop, wrap and to be involved,” Crabb said, “because it is very labor-intensive for 10 days in early December.”

The Christmas Bureau Adopt-a-Family program has become an opportunity to ignite that holiday spark for many people in the community. The many sponsors and volunteers are what make the Adopt-a-Family program work, year after year.

To learn more or get involved:

For more information about Coastside Hope, or the Christmas Bureau Adopt-a-Family program, visit www.coastsidehope.org.

Checks may be sent to Coastside Hope (write Christmas Bureau Adopt-a-Family on the check) at P.O. Box 1089, El Granada, CA 94018. All donations go directly to benefit the  families.

The warehouse, located at 714 Harvard Ave. in Princeton, is open Nov. 30-Dec. 9. The phone number at the warehouse is 650-563-9706.