Share Our Selves celebrates 54 years of family ‘adoptions’ for the holidays
The nonprofit Share Our Selves and its volunteers were able to bring home the holidays for about 1,200 families last weekend throughout Orange County during the organization’s 54th annual Adopt a Family program.
This number was on par with previous years, according to Joe Komsky, Share Our Selves’ chief development officer, who explained that is about the manageable limit.
Families are nominated by local school districts and social services agencies. Although their names are not used, their key information is entered into a database from which interested families and volunteers can sign up to “adopt” them for the season and provide gifts for the holidays.
All volunteers who sign up to “adopt” a family are asked to provide at least two gifts per child in addition to a $25 grocery gift card for every member in the family. Komsky said some families went above and beyond their asks.
The majority of families nominated were adopted by community members, but Komsky said about 350 families were not this year, so the organization sprang into action.
“What happens to those [unadopted] families is that Share Our Selves adopts them,” Komsky said. “Everybody gets something and we make sure that they do. We got over 100 bikes this year because the kids asked for them, and we’re making sure that they are provided a very happy holiday even though they may not have been adopted by another family.”
He said the number of families nominated rose this year, which led to an increase in those who were not adopted.
“That may be because of economic situations,” Komsky said. “It certainly does put more responsibility on us in terms of cash.
“That makes the importance of contributions and donations, … companies that did toy drives and things like that that were very helpful for us. But we did end up spending more on those [unadopted] families than we have in the past.”
About 5,670 individuals received gifts through the program, which first puts out calls for help in November. The nonprofit and its volunteers occupied two hangar buildings at the O.C. Fairgrounds from Dec. 16 to Dec. 20 to shop, accept donations, wrap and prepare presents.
With this year’s season behind and the 55th anniversary of the event on the horizon, Komsky said SOS will do something special next year. And, he added, there are hopes to expand the program.
“It’s the meaning of the holidays to help uplift each other. These are our neighbors, and they’re people who have for whatever reason hit a bump in the road where they can’t, without the kindness of others, wouldn’t be able to celebrate the holidays like this. I think it’s important for us to remember that the holidays are more than just about what we get but also what we give.”
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