HandsOn River Region’s Christmas Clearinghouse program has been dedicated to serving the River Region community since 1980. Their mission is to assist families in need during the holiday season, and we invite you to join us in this important effort. There are thousands of children in the River Region area that would not receive a single present if not for the Christmas Clearing house program and its supporters.
HandsOn River Region shares there are 984 children from 335 families in our community in desperate need. The number of children is expected to grow from emergency cases during the month of December.
The Christmas Clearinghouse was originally established to eliminate duplication of services, ensuring that every family who truly needs help can experience the joy of Christmas. Before the program existed, some families might have received assistance from multiple organizations while others were left without support. HandsOn River Region’s Christmas Clearinghouse Program addresses this by serving as a central hub for agencies providing Christmas assistance, working closely with our partners to ensure that no family is overlooked.
A critical part of their process is clearing names in their database system. Everyone assisted must be entered and cleared before they can receive help. This step is vital to ensuring that resources are distributed fairly and that families are not receiving aid from multiple sources. It soon became clear that this was not enough, and Christmas Clearinghouse grew the program to not just clear names but to also assist as many children as possible to experience Christmas in a positive manner. Last year alone, Christmas Clearinghouse directly assisted over I ,000 children.
Whether you are new to the program or have supported it before, we need your help to make this holiday season special for as many families as we can within our community. Here is how you can get involved:
- Adopt a Family: Provide gifts and necessities that will make their Christmas bright. You will be given a family with a full list of sizes, needs, and wishes of the children in the family.
- Create a Care Basket: Assemble a basket with essential items, including:
- Household Essentials: Laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, toilet paper, paper towels, sponges, and household cleaning supplies.
- Personal Care Items: Diapers, wipes, washcloths, shampoo and conditioner, body wash or bar soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, blankets, and women ‘s personal items. o Clothing and Linens: Wash cloths, towels and sheets.
- Donate: If adoption or creating a care basket is not an option, consider making a financial contribution to support families who are not adopted.
F. Amazon Wish List: If you would like to send items that are needed to assist families during Christmas but are not prepared to adopt a family please consider sending items from the wish list. See the list: https://a.co/0gh0NJq
HandsOn River Region’s goal is to have every family adopted, but for those who are not, funds are raised to ensure they still receive support. Your participation makes a tremendous difference in the lives of those being served. Together, we can ensure that more children experience the magic of Christmas, and parents can feel the relief of knowing their family is cared for during the holidays. Thank you for considering this opportunity to give back to our community.
Below are links to learn more and get involved with Christmas Clearinghouse!
Adopt A Family: https://www.handsonriverregion.org/adoptafamily
Care Baskets: https://www.handsonriverregion.org/cch-care-baskets
Cash Donation: https://www.handsonriverregion.org/cch-donate
