It may only be September, but the holidays will be here before you know it. Then it’s time for gifts, big meals, and family gatherings. But for some military and veteran families who survive on a very tight budget, these celebrations will be out of the question.
ÂEnter national nonprofit Soldiers’ Angels, based in San Antonio, which has developed a program to help ease the stress of the holiday season for qualified military and veteran families. Through its unique Adopt-A-Family program, sponsors can "adopt" a family for the holiday season. The sponsor — who can be an individual, family, or even company — provides gifts for the children as well as a prepaid card for the family to purchase their holiday dinner with all the trimmings.
ÂThe goal is to help America show its gratitude for the sacrifices these families have made in service to our country. Without the assistance of programs like Adopt-A-Family, many military and veteran families would go without any type of holiday celebration — and that's just not right.
ÂThe program is open to families of deployed service members and families of post-9/11 wounded, ill, and injured service members. Selection is need-based and is determined by Soldiers’ Angels representatives.
ÂWant to sign up to be a sponsor? First you need to become a Team Angel, which is like being a virtual volunteer. Once you’re in the Team Angel database, you can not only Adopt-A-Family, but also contribute to any of Soldiers’ Angels’ 11 other volunteer teams that work year-round: Deployed Adoptions, Chaplain Support, Special Operations Forces, Angel Bakers, Ladies of Liberty, Letter Writing, Cards Plus, Operation Top Knot, Women of Valor, Sewing & Crafting, and Living Legends.
ÂSoldiers’ Angels also encourages businesses to consider participating in the event. Working directly with the nonprofit’s staff, businesses are able to adopt multiple families — making this a great holiday charity event for employees. Interested businesses should reach out to Jennifer Cernoch directly: jcernoch@soldiersangels.org.
ÂFor full details — and some very helpful FAQs — about the program and how to get involved, visit the Adopt-A-Family website.
Adopt-A-Family helps service members and their loved ones celebrate the holidays.
