‘Every kid deserves a Christmas’: Adopt-A-Family program calls on community for help
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- With Christmas being 15 days away, the AFL-CIO's Adopt-A-Family Christmas program is in need of more adopters, volunteers, and toys.
The program has over 900 families who have applied, with over 800 families being available for adoption. So far, 453 families have been adopted.
Nichi Seckinger, AFL-CIO executive director, said the number of people coming in to adopt has slowed down.
"We try to be patient and stay positive, but we really do need some more adopters to come in," she said.
For anyone who has never adopted, there are estimated costs for each adoptee. Children under the age of five are estimated the cost $50 to $80. For children ages five to 12, the estimated costs are $75 to $100. Seniors and disabled adults' estimated cost is $75 to $100.
Along with adopters, the program needs volunteers for its gift room.
Seckinger said they are struggling with getting volunteers to sign up. If volunteers don't sign up and the agency will not be able to get families through its gift room.
"We are really, really in need of volunteers, and they get to interact with these families as they're shopping for their households", she said. "It's a really great opportunity to see this program in action and really see the impact it makes with these families in these households and just how much they appreciate what they're getting."
There are 250 slots open for volunteers for the gift room. Seckinger said that volunteers only have to work a couple of hours in the gift room.
"We do ask that they volunteer for at least 2 hours just because the time turns over so quickly," Seckinger said.
About a third of the families in the program go through the gift room. Seckinger said due to the constant uptick of people enrolling in the program, they have been running low on toys.
"When we're getting the same amount of donations each year, but more families are enrolled, it just slowly but surely gets rid of any extra that we have. And so this year we're pretty thin going into it," Seckinger said.
Seckinger also said anyone can donate toys at the agency, and it doesn't matter the amount that is donated.
"They can bring down anything. I mean, they can buy one toy and we're happy to take it," she said. "It doesn't make any difference if it's one or ten. We don't care. We'll take whatever anybody can provide."
Seckinger said anyone who can provide anything makes Christmas better for those families.
"If they can manage to adopt an entire family, I can tell you that the impact it makes and the peace it provides to their parents and the joy it brings to those kids, it's just like you have to experience to understand it, to see the real impact it can make," she said.
Seckinger said every kid deserves to have a Christmas.
"Having Christmas and being able to celebrate that and all of the wonder and fun that comes with Christmas, every kid should have that," she said. "If we can make that happen and we can get the community to help us make that happen, then that is the sole motivation for doing this program."
The last day to adopt a family is Christmas Eve. The AFL-CIO's gift room opens Dec. 17.
