Program provides gifts during holiday season: 11/23

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Program provides gifts during holiday season

Families Helping Families (FHF), a partnership between the Palmetto Project and ABC News 4, provides assistance to local families in crisis. In most instances the breadwinner in these families has recently become disabled, ill, deceased or unemployed.

This year, FHF organizers are hoping to expand their Christmas program in the Lowcountry and are seeking local families, church groups, businesses and civic organizations to sponsor individual families with urgent needs.

During the past 20 years, the program has provided Christmas gifts, clothing, food and other essentials to thousands of Charleston area families each December. Last year, 1,338 children and their families were provided food, clothing and winter supplies from local sponsors.

According to Palmetto Project executive director Steve Skardon, every sponsor will receive a detailed profile of a family, including names, ages, clothing sizes and wish lists for special needs and Christmas gifts. Families are pre-screened by social service organizations to ensure there are no duplication of services and those in the greatest need are served first.

Individual sponsors for the program may sign up at palmettoproject.org. Corporate sponsors may sign on by calling Ann Addison at 729-8338.

A video may also be viewed at http://youtu.be/DXGL3lqds5g

Friday, Nov. 23, 2012

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