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A volunteer mom and her daughter pack oranges for holiday baskets. |
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At St. John’s/St. Ann’s Outreach Center, we want to ensure that clients have access to a special meal to celebrate the holidays regardless of their circumstances. Through our Holiday Program, Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets are delivered to families registered with the Food Pantry in the Center service area. Households who sign up in October receive holiday baskets in place of their regular food pantry for November and December. Volunteers prepare the baskets so that they contain the necessary ingredients for a complete holiday dinner. The food is provided by the Food Pantries of the Capital District, the Northeast Regional Food Bank, and area churches, schools, and organizations. The baskets are delivered to each family just prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition, at Christmas, gifts provided by area churches and individuals are given to each individual in the household. What makes St. John’s/St. Ann’s holiday program special is that for Christmas, our clients actually tell us what gifts they would like to receive (within reason) and we do our best to provide them. In 2011, 169 families signed up for our Holiday Program and the Center provided over 470 gifts for our neighbors for the holidays. |