AFL-CIO expects 1,000 applicants for Adopt-A-Family program

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The AFL-CIO Community Services Adopt-A-Family program said it needs more adopters.

The organization has seen an influx of applications this year since the day applications opened up. So far, it's reached over 700 families, with 182 being adopted.

Nichi Seckinger, executive director of the agency, said they feel like they’re falling behind in working with adopters due to the high volume of adoptee applications received.

"Any more adopters that we can get is always wonderful, and we do need more adopters," she said. "If those numbers end up being what we're anticipating that they'll be, and we'll have over a thousand families, we're absolutely going to need more adopters."

This will be the third time the program will see over a thousand families. The previous times the program saw an influx of this many applications were the Great Flood of 1993 and the Housing Crisis of 2009.

Seckinger said the influx of applications could be because of the economy and the effects of the government shutdown.

"A lot of it is probably also due to the issues with SNAP that we saw, because that's going to put a lot of folks into catch up mode till the end of the year and the shutdown with the government, because we have had quite a few military families that have applied and folks that were employed by the state who are trying to play catch up," Seckinger said.

Along with adopters, Seckinger said the organization needs volunteers and toys for its gift room.

AFL-CIO will take adopter applications until Christmas Eve. Applications can be picked up in person or filled out online.