(This is the first in a series of posts about ways you can help those in need this holiday season.)
“It’s hard to be a kid who needs in Southborough.” That from a woman who should know. As director of Southborough Youth & Family Services, Laurie Sugarman-Whittier has worked closely with Southborough kids and families in need for 23 years.
This holiday season, Sugarman-Whittier is helping run SYFS’s annual Holiday Giving Program. Through the program, Southborough families get gift cards for essentials like groceries, health care products, and clothes. And of course, the kids get toys. “We try to get a few things that kids need, and a few things they want,” said Sugarman-Whittier.
All of the families benefiting from the program are Southborough families. SYFS works with the schools and other organizations like the Southborough Food Bank to identify families in need. They may be families who participate in free or reduced lunch services at school, or families who recently suffered a job loss or a divorce.
There are over 30 families participating this year, a higher number than in past years. “It’s a bad year,” said Sugarman-Whittier.
How you can help
The easiest way to participate is to purchase gift cards from any major retailer. Some suggestions are Stop & Shop, CVS, Walmart, Target, and Barnes and Noble.
SYFS works with donor groups like St. Anne’s Church, Southborough Kindergroup, and the Southborough schools, so if you’re affiliated with one of the donor groups you can drop off your gift cards there. If not, contact Laurie Sugarman-Whittier at 508-481-5675 ext 3 or via email at lsugarmanwhittier[AT]southboroughma[DOT]com to make arrangements. Donations need to be in by December 17.
