You may have noticed the announcement on social media that you have helped us adopt ALL of this year’s Christmas Bureau families. As donors, you are the heart of Christmas Bureau, and we wanted to say thank you for your continued generosity at this special time of year. 

This year you served 1,641 households with 5,548 individuals. If just one agency or entity had attempted to serve that many people, it would have cost nearly $300,000 in gifts and food alone. And if you spent just one hour per household shopping, wrapping and delivering, it would have taken you 205 work days, or 68 round-the-clock days, to get it done. Together, you made this enormous act of generosity possible!

But we know Christmas Bureau is about so much more than numbers. Stories like this one are the real reason our community steps up year after year. One of our intake elves asked to share this encounter, partly because it is the ordinariness of the story that makes it such a prime example of how you help others through Christmas Bureau.  

“During a rather busy time at Christmas Bureau intake, a J., woman in her late 60’s, came forward to my station when her number was called.  We said hello and sat down to review her application and documentation.  I could see from her income statement that she was a retired State employee, and her pension amount was quite low.  As we chatted and I walked through her application, I noticed her very modest wish list items:  warm socks and a blanket.  I asked her to include other items, but she said that was all she needed.  After some prompting, she added new bed sheets to her list.  She also told me that she had a hard time getting enough food for the month and wondered if her adopter would provide some.  I told her they would, but I also shared information about some local food banks that could help her.  I also connected her to 211 so they could help her with other needs that may arise.  As J. got up to leave, I realized that she would be about my mother’s age, and that, after working most of her life, she still struggled to meet her basic needs.  

J.'s story is not uncommon among Christmas Bureau applicants or among those who access crisis services every day in our community. Thank you to everyone who donated or adopted to make this kind lady’s holiday a happier one. And thank you to everyone who supports United Way's impact work with an annual pledge so that more families can live lives of financial stability and maybe one day put the Christmas Bureau out of business.