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Families Forward Learning Center, which has provided free education and social services to low-income families with children in Pasadena since 1961, has started its 2021 Adopt-a-Family Program in which community members are encouraged to donate Christmas gifts and much-needed essentials for families in need.
In the program, the organization helps donors adopt a family of two to seven members — the size depending on their choice — and asks them to gift each family member and give an optional household item for Christmas.
Liz Kwong, development director at Families Forward Learning Center, said the benefiting families are below poverty line, low-income households and in great need of help. This year, a total of 90 families in need have been identified for the program.
“I sent out an email letting everybody know it’s Adopt-a-Family time. We also get the word out and we give them a form to fill out and they mail it back to me,” Kwong said. “Sometimes they need laundry detergent. Sometimes they need pots and pans. So we put that on the list and then also a grocery card for a holiday meal.”
Kwong acknowledged that many families will be needing extra support at this time of the pandemic. The organization will also be taking safety precautions during the delivery and distribution of holiday gifts.
“What normally happens is we have Santa here and he hands out the baskets to the families and it’s a fun time,” Kwong continued. “But with COVID, we could not do that last year and we can’t do that again this year, but that’s been part of the tradition. Our families just are so moved by the fact that these donors want to help them. Some of the families are like, ‘They want to help us? How nice.’ They just can’t believe how lucky they are that they are able to give their children Christmas gifts.”
Since March 2020, the Center has been helping families impacted by COVID-19, particularly those who’ve lost their jobs or other income opportunities. At one time last year, the center led a diaper drive in cooperation with the San Marino Community Church and collected over 40,000 diapers. The local Salvation Army and veteran organizations have also helped provide food donations, enabling the center to deliver boxes of food and frozen chicken to families in need every month.
To take part in the Adopt-a-Family program, people can sign up by filling out an online form at https://docs.google.com/
For more information, visit www.familiesforwardlc.org/
Families Forward Learning Center is located at 980 N. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena.
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