St. Francis Solano gift program seeks community support

Christmas adopt-a-family efforts have tripled in size in post-fire Sonoma|

St. Francis Solano School and Parish’s annual Adopt-A-Family has committed to serving 24 families from the parish and surrounding community this year. The program started last year to help families in need from the parish and school by making sure they have gifts to open and a meal to eat at Christmas. This year the parish has tripled the number of people it is helping, due to the extraordinary need among families who were affected by the North Bay fires.

The gifts will go to families in need from the parish, families that have lost their home, and families that have lost work due to the fires.

Amanda Bevan, St. Francis Solano School Parents Club president, said, “Last year we were able to provide, wrap and deliver 180 gifts to families in our community. This year we received three times the requests for help by our deadline. Needless to say, we were a little overwhelmed but we couldn’t turn away the mother who had just lost her home, the father who had just lost his job, or any of the other wonderful families in our community. These families truly have mountains to climb. We realize a warm holiday meal and Christmas gifts under their tree will not fix their daunting situations, but it will hopefully lighten their load a bit and offer them a moment of relief this holiday season.”

The community can help by purchasing a gift off the Amazon’s Wish List (called 2017 St. Francis Solano) by Dec. 13 or adopt an entire family by contacting Noelle Andres at 363-7286 or Noelle@andresfam.com; or by writing a check to St. Francis Solano School, write Adopt-A-Family on the memo line; or by attending the wrapping party from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, at Fr. Robert’s Hall. Children are welcome. There will be cookie decorating, hot chocolate and a Christmas movie playing.

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