THE FAMILY GIVING TREE

SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1990, THE ORGANIZATION HAS HELD A BELIEF THAT NO ONE SHOULD FEEL FORGOTTEN DURING THE HOLIDAYS. DELIVERING A WISHED-FOR GIFT BRINGS JOY AND HOPE AND DELIVERS THE PRICELESS MESSAGE, "YOU MATTER. YOU HAVE VALUE." THE ORGANIZATION WORKS WITH NEARLY 400 SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES (HOMELESS SHELTERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, REHABILITATION HOUSES, AND VARIOUS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS) AND SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT ITS HOLIDAY WISH DRIVE. THESE AGENCIES AND SCHOOLS SUPPLY THE ORGANIZATION WITH THE NAME AND TWO SPECIFIC WISHES OF THE CHILDREN AND INDIVIDUALS THEY SERVE YEAR-ROUND. A WISH CARD IS PRINTED FOR EACH CHILD OR INDIVIDUAL, DETAILING AGE, GENDER, FIRST NAME, AND THE SPECIFIC GIFT WISHES. THESE WISHES ARE THEN DISTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 700 VOLUNTEER DRIVE LEADERS (INDIVIDUALS, SOCIAL GROUPS, AND BUSINESSES) WHO DISPLAY WISH CARDS - OFTEN ON HOLIDAY TREES - IN A PUBLIC AREA, SUCH AS A BUSINESS LOBBY. BY SELECTING A WISH CARD, AN INDIVIDUAL COMMITS TO PURCHASING A GIFT TO DONATE FOR THOSE MOST UNDERSERVED DURING THE HOLIDAYS.THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED APPROXIMATELY 3,000 VOLUNTEERS IN 50,000 SQUARE FEET OF DONATED WAREHOUSE SPACE IN DECEMBER 2023 (2,000 VOLUNTEERS IN 50,000 SQUARE FEET OF DONATED WAREHOUSE SPACE IN DECEMBER 2022) WHERE THE DONATED GIFTS ARE THEN SORTED, WRAPPED, AND DISBURSED TO THE ORGANIZATION'S AGENCY PARTNERS FOR DISTRIBUTION. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION MAINTAINS A VIRTUAL GIVING TREE ON ITS WEBSITE: WWW.FAMILYGIVINGTREE.ORG. DURING THE YEARS ENDED APRIL 30, 2024 AND 2023, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED HOLIDAY GIFTS TO APPROXIMATELY 44,000 AND 56,000 CHILDREN, RESPECTIVELY.