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Despite pandemic, Adopt-A-Family drive is a success

Adopt-A-Family volunteers at the turnaround.

Despite the obstacles and changes brought about by Covid, SLUH’s Adopt-A-Family Drive continued its annual success. 

SLUH partnered with St. Francis Community Services Southside Adopt-A-Family Program to help families in need and to bring the spirit of Christmas. The Adopt-A-Family Drive allows students and their parents to “adopt” St. Francis families and families in the SLUH community by providing them with clothing, coats, toys, household essentials like toilet paper, and gift cards for groceries, gas, and department stores. The drive’s collection lasted from Monday Dec. 7 to Friday Dec. 11.

“It was very successful considering all of the changes we made for this year and considering the great needs that families are in,” said Campus Minister Simonie Anzalone. “We just had so many generous folks participate, we know right now already—it’s not over yet, but we know that we have met our goal.”

“It was very successful considering all of the changes we made for this year and considering the great needs that families are in. We just had so many generous folks participate, we know right now already—it’s not over yet, but we know that we have met our goal.”

Campus Minister Simonie Anzalone

In order to safely adapt to Covid, SLUH incorporated changes into the drive. This year, students were matched with their adopted families by their theology class instead of their homeroom, and virtual students had the option of mailing in their donations. SLUH also made an adjustment by limiting the possible contributions to gift cards only. Donations are being collected in Campus Ministry instead of the Old Cafeteria, so gift cards are a better alternative because they take up less space. More importantly, this safe alternative enabled each family to choose what will make their Christmas a joyful one. 

“We supported 34-plus families: 34 families through Southside and some other anonymous families,” said Anzalone. “The idea was that we sent each individual person in the family a $25 gift card of their choosing and then the family got an additional $250 gift card say to Walmart or Aldi’s or Schnucks or something like that—that they got to request—and we have fulfilled all of those.”

Organized by Campus Ministry and the Mother’s Club, the drive requested students to bring in gift cards or cash donations (and SLUH would use that money to buy gift cards). Students were also encouraged to contribute $5 of their own money to help offset the cost of the gift cards, and students were available to give additional gift card donations to help families within the SLUH community. After signing up for their gift donations on SignUpGenius, students were tasked to bring their items in on the day their cohort met in-person. Students had both the Mother’s Club at morning drop-off and Campus Ministry as options for turning in their donations; students placed their gift into an envelope which was then placed into boxes separated by each grade level.

“There is just so much dignity in allowing the families to purchase gifts for each other, so supplying them with a gift card for a place of their choosing really feels wonderful; I think it actually aligns with our faith in allowing people the dignity to make those choices,” said Anzalone. “I have a feeling that it will continue this way, Covid or not.”

Although the donations were made, the Adopt-A-Family Drive was not over. The gift cards had to be sorted to match each family, and the cash was then used by four members of the Mother’s Club to purchase the rest of the gift cards. The gifts will be delivered to St. Francis Community Services by the end of this week. 

“Kind of the beautiful thing about the drives of the past is that the students have been able to help deliver the gifts; load them up and see the organization, and then a lot of the folks who are served by the organization, a lot of the clients actually come during that time to pick up their gifts and they help load their cars, so there’s an actual, personal interaction,” said Anzalone. “Obviously, that’s not ideal right now and that’s the part I’m most disappointed about, honestly, that the student involvement is just less with this type of drive.”

Since the junior class came up with the most donations, Campus Ministry awarded them with donuts as they were checked in the theater this past Monday and Tuesday. Although the juniors received donuts as a sign of appreciation, Campus Ministry wanted to give thanks to the whole student body for their contributions. 

“We are so grateful for their generous support of the drive,” said Anzalone. 

 

 


 

 

 

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