Wheeling Township Fulfills Holiday Wishes for Children and Families
Wheeling Township has two giving programs this holiday season; Adopt-A-Family connects Township families with generous donors who fulfill a wish list of gifts for recipients, while the Thanksgiving Basket program provides all the fixings for holiday meals to families in-need.
The Adopt-A-Family holiday program traditionally serves between 200-250 families on an annual basis. In 2017, 238 families were recipients, which included 622 children and 416 adults. The Township partners with a wide array of local community organizations, businesses and private citizens, to make this program a success.
Wheeling Township will soon be accepting applications from families to become recipients of this program. Generous donors from the local community are matched with families living in Wheeling Township. Recipients, whose identities remain confidential, provide a 'wish list' to the Township of three gift suggestions for each family member, including clothing sizes and toy ideas. These wish lists are then given to the donors who are asked to spend between $50 and $100 per family member. Please note that only one gift card request will be allowed for young people ages 16-18.
"The Township is extremely grateful to all of our generous donors who help to answer the wishes of our needy families over the holiday season," said Wheeling Township Supervisor Kathy Penner. "The Adopt-A-Family program is a true representation of the Township's motto, Neighbors Helping Neighbors."
Applications for this program will be accepted on Saturday, October 20, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Wheeling Township, 1616 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, and no appointment is necessary. Families will be seen in order of their arrival and are asked to be prepared to wait. The following documents are required to apply; a picture ID for parents, birth certificates for children, the current month's electric bill and proof of all sources of household income for the last 30 days.
If individuals are unable to apply on Saturday, October 20, an appointment can be made Monday through Friday by calling 847-259-7730 for available appointment times. In an effort to ensure no family goes without, families enrolled in other agencies' holiday giving programs will not be accepted to participate in the Adopt-A-Family program.
Donors for the Thanksgiving Basket program are also being sought. This program provides a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including the turkey or a gift certificate to purchase a turkey, to families, as well as all the fixings for this traditional holiday meal.
If you are able to become a donor for this program, please email mhernandez@wheelingtownship.com by November 5, 2018. A list of the food expected to be included in the basket will then be provided. In 2017, 270 families received Thanksgiving baskets from Wheeling Township.