STEAC STORIES

Special to The Enterprise

November 6, 2019

Volunteers for the Short Term Emergency Aid Committee have kicked off their campaign to sign up “Adopters” to provide gifts and food for struggling individuals and families living in Davis who might otherwise go without during the upcoming holiday season.

In its 52nd year, STEAC’s Holiday Program encourages individuals, families, businesses, groups, clubs, churches, and schools to adopt individuals and families of varying sizes with incomes at or below the federal poverty level.

It is a great way to directly help families in our community as program recipients must be Davis residents. “The Holiday Program is a time-honored tradition in Davis, and, of all of STEAC’s programs, it is by far the most widely recognized and embraced by local families and organizations,” said program chair Kelly Coleman. “This holiday tradition is particularly special because it really is neighbor-helping-neighbor, bringing the community together to care for and support each other.”

STEAC volunteers have started recruiting adopters through STEAC’s website, letters, e-mails and phone calls. Adopters will be needed to fill the high demand for the program, leading up to the Nov. 27 deadline to adopt a family.

Holiday Program adopters are provided a checklist of food and a wish list of gifts specific to their adopted families. “We are doing something new this year. In an attempt to better match our community’s needs, we are excited to be offering a choice of ethnically-inspired food lists to our adopted families,” said Coleman.

The cost of adopting ranges from $100 to $500+, depending on the size of the family. After the adopter buys and packages the food and gifts on the list, they must be delivered between Dec. 3-5 to the program headquarters at the First Baptist Church, 38141 Russell Blvd., Davis.

“We are also expanding our reach from prior years, and are expecting to provide food and gifts to nearly 450 Davis households this season,” explained Coleman. STEAC is in particular need for large families to be adopted — often times book clubs, offices, or scout troops come together to help larger families. As well, there are an increased number of singles seeking assistance – including people who are elderly, disabled, and/or homeless in our community.

“Not only does the Holiday Program provide support during the holidays, it also is a major fundraiser for STEAC’s other programs and services,” stated STEAC director, Liane Moody. “Many people in the community are inspired to give during the holidays, but the need to help struggling Yolo County families extends far into the year, long after the holiday season ends.”

STEAC provides a host of programs to support struggling low-income county residents. Services range from eviction prevention and first month’s rent, to job readiness programs such as work and interview clothing and money for textbooks, to weekend bags of food for school children, to free food through STEAC’s food closet which distributes almost 130,000 pounds of food a year.

“Our goal is to keep struggling families and individuals from becoming homeless and to help them become self-sufficient. With public grant funding becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, STEAC relies more and more on private donations to serve local families and individuals who struggle each day with basic necessities,” Moody explained.

Cash donations can be sent to the STEAC office at 1712 Picasso Ave Unit D, Davis, CA 95618, or made directly through STEAC’s website at www.steac.org.

Low-income residents can apply for a holiday box starting November 2 through November 16 at the Davis Lutheran Church, which is located at 317 E 8th St., in Davis. Instructions for applying, including specific dates and times and what documentation to bring with you, are available at the Yolo County Library, City of Davis Parks and Recreation Department, Davis Community Meals (1111 H St.), and on our website at www.steac.org. Residents are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible as there is limited availability and slots fill up quickly.

For information about adopting, receiving holiday gifts, volunteering, or donating, call 530-758-8435, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. More information on the Holiday Program can be found on the STEAC web page at www.steac.org.