Bringing Joy at Christmas
The Adopt-a-Family programme is in its seventh year, and while its scope has diminished since its heyday a few years ago, it is still an important outreach opportunity for the Salvation Army.
Manukau Central Corps Officer Major Raewyn Aspeitia oversees a programme that provides Christmas hampers gifts to around 300 South Auckland families, totalling some 1100 people.
The corps took over the operation from South Auckland Community Ministries two years ago. While Adopt a Family (AAF) provides relief to parents and joy to children during the Christmas celebrations, it also provides Salvationists with the opportunity to get better acquainted with their communities, Raewyn says.
Manukau Central Corps Salvationists deliver hampers and gifts to recipient families.
‘This is an appropriate corps activity The Salvation Army is all about changing our communities so this gives us the chance to get out and get to know the people who are in need,’ Raewyn says.
AAF began to evolve in 2004 when Majors Christine and Graham Rattray, then Salvation Army Court and Prison Officers in Auckland were approached by two lawyers wanting to help underprivileged families. Then director of South Auckland Community Ministries, Gerry Walker, championed the programme and AAF rapidly expanded throughout the country under the management of the community ministries office manager Raewyn Heke.
While the programme is no longer centrally managed, it is still alive and well in several corps and community ministries in the Northern and Central divisions.
The AAF concept is simple; Identify people, families or companies who want to provide gifts and a food hamper for a materially deprived family at Christmas.
The recipient families are among those who have a working relationship with Salvation Services such as Community Ministries, Addiction Services or Employment Plus.
Donors are carefully matched to recipient families and donors are given the first names of family members and the age of the children so appropriate gifts can be purchased. Donors and recipients never meet and the privacy of family receiving the support is strictly maintained.
Those who give tend to be families and individuals wishing to brighten up less fortunate families’ Christmas. But companies also play a significant and growing part in AAF.
North Shore Community Ministries will oversee AAF for 75 families this Christmas. Its manager Dee McColl says the scheme has seen an increasing interest this year, especially from companies.
Running the programme is relatively simple and she recommends it to all corps and community ministries as an effective outreach project. ‘It’s a very rewarding programme to run and it encourages the community to interact with us more than they would normally.’
An AAF programme can be started on a very modest scale and built up over time as more donors are attracted, she says.
Both Dee and Raewyn say families receiving support are genuinely appreciative, especially as they are usually expecting a subdued and, in some cases, a grim Christmas day. To manage the expectations of recipients, families don’t know they are on the AAF list until the hamper and gifts are delivered.