With the Holidays this month we are all giving and receiving in some way. This year I’m hoping your giving extends to those that are less fortunate. We as a family have been the grateful recipients of generosity well beyond our wildest hopes since I was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago. All this help has flowed to us in many forms and behind it we have felt extraordinary love. We are fortunate because we have a steady income AND we have friends and family that have helped us while our financial burden has been stretched with cancer treatment costs.
There are so many families struggling with circumstances that were unforeseen and the fallout has been financial hardship. Not everyone is blessed with a network that can step in and help financially. Children of incarcerated parents fall into this category. When one or even two parents are incarcerated there can be little to no income. Other family members or friends must step in to take care of children and in this time of giving, there often isn’t money to be spent on gifts.
Hope Beneath the Tree is a gift-giving program for children of incarcerated parents. Last year this program was able to deliver over 300 Christmas gifts to children of incarcerated parents. This year they hope to beat that number. When Hope Beneath the Tree was able to speak with some of the recipient families from last year several people explained that the gifts from Hope Beneath the Tree were the only gifts the child received, and several sent photos of the happy kids opening their presents.They expressed their true appreciation of these gifts.
If you would like to contribute to this organization and help a child this year, it’s easy! Fill out the form in the link below:
After you submit the form you will receive an email with the child’s name, age and wish for a gift. There are no limits to what you spend but the organization asks that you spend a minimum of $25.00. Gifts need to be mailed out no later then December 17th to ensure on time delivery.
Get your street to go in on it together, have your children do a fundraiser with a few friends and sponsor a child, make it a family effort or do this in someone’s honor as a gift. I heard about this through my friend Dana, last year and this year my Godson Leo and his sister Phoebe have joined Dana by lending their energy to the cause. Below is the website and email for Hope Beneath the Tree. Please direct any questions to that email address and thank you!
xoxo Hilary
Website: hopebeneaththetree.weebly.com
Email: hopebeneaththetree@gmail.com
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfv7E8pGnsTfvslW3LpXExYDABGBcYk7Bpywn6Ig42XSi0fNw/viewform