The holiday season brings out the giving side in many people and helps identify those in need. One local church is seizing the season to highlight the need and bring joy to children placed in kinship care.
Kinship care is used to describe when children are placed with relatives or a significant figure in their lives instead of foster care when it is not safe for them to stay in their homes or with their parents, said Christine Appel, project manager for Project Greatest Gift.
Project Greatest Gift, created by White Fields Community Church in Longmont, works with Weld and Adams counties to ensure kids have holiday gifts along with essentials.
“We just want to come alongside these families around Christmas time and help them apply for basic needs, also for Christmas gifts, and try to add some extra joy to the season, which can be pretty hard for these kids, who have been taken from all that they have known,” Appel said.
In past years, White Fields Community Church has assisted Weld and Adams counties by sponsoring children in foster and kinship care, however, this year the church is only helping families in kinship care because of the rising need, Appel said.
White Fields Community Church is looking for help to fill donation requests of 147 families, which include 250 children, Appel said.
“It’s a trial and a challenge for many of these families,” Appel said.
While Project Greatest Gift in Longmont is only working to provide gifts for a portion of the children in kinship care, Kristy DeAnda, human service recruiter for Weld County, said other children will receive donations from other organizations and all needs are expected to be met this season.
Donations to Project Greatest Gift can be delivered to White Fields Community Church, 2950 Colorful Ave., Suite 100. Delivery is requested by the first weekend in December.
White Fields Community Church also will host Kenzi’s Causes Dolls for Daughters Toy Shop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 12, or until it runs out of toys.
Kenzi’s Causes, an annual event to ensure underprivileged children receive a gift for the holidays, will be open to the public but only 500 children will be served. There are no reservations and toys will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Parents are asked to bring photo identification and the children’s birth certificates. Children are not allowed to attend.
