H.O.P.E. Spread This Holiday Season

Need knows no season for the needy, yet the period from Thanksgiving into the new year is the time of year when the fortunate tend to reach out to the less fortunate. The H.O.P.E. Foundation’s “Tree of HOPE” Adopt-a-Family program provides food and gifts for Long Beach low-income families during the holiday season. Each year, since 2009, The H.O.P.E. Foundation “adopts” shelters and organizations from Long Beach, then receives a list of families in need from each shelter and organization, along with Santa’s wish list from each family. The families are then posted on The H.O.P.E. Foundation’s website (i.e. “Family A, mother and two children) seeking individuals, families and companies to adopt the families for the holidays. If you choose a family and want Santa’s Helpers to shop for you, a donation can be made on the website. "Last year, larger families with five or more children and families with teens were harder to adopt, so The H.O.P.E. Foundation adopted the remaining families and provided gifts off their wish lists," said Pamela Foddrell, founder/executive director for The H.O.P.E. Foundation. "The Foundation is hoping to reach companies where employees can come together and adopt the larger families and the families with teens. We have 36 families and 10 foster care children referred to us by over eight different agencies from San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange counties. We wish we could take more." The Tree of H.O.P.E. Adopt-a-Family Program launched on Nov. 15. To date, the community has come together, via social media, and have adopted over half of the families. Gifts were distributed to families the week of Dec. 16. This is the third year the foundation has served the Inland Empire.