Less than 24 hours remain to find last-minute sponsors for SERVE's Adopt-a-Family program.
"We have 108 kids who need adopters by the end of (Friday)," SERVE Executive Director Courtney Harrison announced during Thursday's Community Resource Network meeting.
More than 100 children have been "adopted" since Nov. 25, when 210 of the record-setting 461 qualified children were without sponsors. But that isn't enough, Harrison said.
"Adopt-a-Family is expensive," she explained. "SERVE covers the food, but we rely on the community to take care of the gifts."
The program, which is 100 percent local, helps provide gifts for children in need, plus a full Christmas meal for each participating family. After local low-income families sign up, community members, organizations and groups get to "adopt" each child and purchase gifts. Each child receives "something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read." Typically, the adopters spend about $75-$100 per child, though the exact amount is up to the individual.
"The stuff on the needs list is sad," Harrison said. "They'll ask for food, they'll ask for gifts for their parents."
The program also includes senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, who receive a Christmas stocking packed with goodies. This year, 126 people have signed up for that part of the program.
There are several ways to help.
The simplest is to donate. A $100 donation covers the cost for SERVE to shop for one of the children.
It's also easy to sign up to sponsor a child. Hurry over to SERVE (4901 County Road 304) to pick up a form, or call 573-642-6338. They'll provide the child's age, gender and wish list.
If money isn't an option, you can give time. SERVE needs many volunteers to assemble food baskets, sort gifts, set up the distribution site at the Mueller Center on Westminster College's campus and, of course, help distribution day go smoothly.
Distribution day is Dec. 18, and SERVE needs volunteers from Dec. 9-13 for drop-off and Dec. 16-18 for distribution.
This article was edited to reflect that Courtney Harrison is the executive director of SERVE. Her name was incorrect in the original version.