BERNARDSTON — Hearing that Adopt-A-Family of Franklin County was still in need of donations as of late last month, local residents banded together to ensure every family in need would have a gift for Christmas.
One group that participated for the first time, in response to the call for help, was the patrons of Cushman Library.
“Adopt-A-Family usually has all the families sponsored by now,” Library Director Karen Stinchfield said after volunteering to participate in early December. “It just felt like a good thing to do.”
Stinchfield said that upon hearing the news, she proposed participating to the library’s Board of Trustees, who were in wholehearted agreement.
“I just thought, ‘Our patrons are so wonderful, they would do this,’” she said.
Adopt-A-Family of Franklin County is a locally based non-profit organization that connects families in need at Christmas with people willing to donate clothes, nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, toys and other gifts based on wish lists provided by the families.
Through an abundance of generosity from local residents, the organization surpassed its expectations this season, distributing gifts to 215 families on Friday.
Cushman Library’s patrons were given a family of three to sponsor. For about a week, Stinchfield had a rack with tags on her desk, with a particular gift written on each tag. Patrons who took one or more tags would be responsible for those gifts.
“Everybody really likes that it’s local,” Stinchfield said. “It’s a Franklin County family.”
Stinchfield hopes Cushman Library’s patrons will participate annually going forward.
Meanwhile, another group of residents at the United Church of Bernardston have been participating for several years, sponsoring four families each year.
The Rev. David Neil said 60 to 70 parishioners donate gifts each year, and he loves watching how joyful the residents are while preparing their gifts.
“It’s pretty incredible,” he said. “You get to see the generosity of the people in Franklin County … It’s great when we see things that we as a county can do together.”
Sponsoring families each year, Neil said, “becomes a part of the Christmas tradition.”
“We don’t even think twice about it,” he said. “It’s part of what opening our hearts for the season means. It’s more about giving than it is receiving, and Adopt-A-Family is a good way to remember that.”