The holidays are a magical time of year for many Newmarket residents, but it can also be a time of stress for families who are struggling to make ends meet.
Take, for instance, the 13 families who are still hoping to be ‘adopted’ for Christmas as part of the Neighbourhood Network’s adopt-a-family program.
“We’ve received a lot of food and toy donations, however, we have more than a dozen families that still need to be adopted,” Neighbourhood Network program assistant Maggie Pelyvas said.
The charitable organization is run by Aurora-based Magna International. Each year through its Holiday Gift Drive, the network matches donations with the wish lists of its local non-profit partners, including the AIDS Committee of York Region, LOFT Crosslinks Street Outreach Services Network, Newmarket’s Rose of Sharon, Victim Services of York Region and more.
Here is more information on four of the families who need help to make the season bright:
- Family 1: A single dad and his son would like a queen-sized bed, bed frame and bed sheets;
- Family 2: A seven-year-old boy would like a bike and art supplies;
- Family 3: A 10-year-old girl would like a musical ballerina box and a 12-year-old boy would like a PlayStation 4 camera and;
- Family 4: Two brothers, 8 and 10, would like remote-control toys, Nerf guns, Minecraft toys, hats, gloves and scarves.
Pelyvas said general requests among all the families include gift cards to Cineplex, Superstore, Ultimate Dining, Upper Canada Mall, VISA and Walmart. As well, toiletries for both men and women are appreciated and winter coats, boots, hats, mitts and scarves for males and females from birth to 70 years of age, in all sizes.
The deadline to adopt-a-family is Dec. 21. Call 905-726-3737 or visit here.
