Department of Family Services – Children, Youth and Families

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
703-324-7500 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway, Pennino Building
Fairfax, VA 22035
Oriane Eriksen
Director

Department Resources

Related Resources

Adopt-A-Family Holiday Program

two adults holding giftsWhat is the Adopt-A-Family program?

The Adopt-a-Family Program was developed to help children and families who are in need of clothing, food and toys for the holidays. Every fall, the program begins taking donations to support families who are working with Fairfax County Department of Family Services, Children, Youth and Families Division. The program matches generous donors with identified families to make their holidays more joyful. 

With the help of the community, this program has expanded its mission since its inception in 2006. Volunteer & Partner Services works within the community to help these families in times of need, not just during the holiday season.

Thanks for your interest. Continue reading to learn how to adopt a family.

variety of wrapped holiday giftsIf your family, business, company, organization or faith-based group is interested in helping to support a family experiencing difficult times during the holidays, this might be the program for you.

Please consider Adopting-A-Family today to help make their holidays brighter!

Make an impact and help families at the holidays or any time of the year by making a monetary contribution or providing gift cards for food, clothing, toys, new baby items, etc.

To get involved, contact the the Volunteer and Partner Services Supervisor by email.

two message dialog boxesIf you, your family, or your organization want to adopt a family, follow these steps: 

  1. To become an Adopt-A-Family donor, fill out the Adopt-A-Family Donor Form.
    • Include your name, organization/company name, email, phone number, and mailing address.
    • Indicate the number of children you would like to support in your adopt-a-family (plan to purchase about four to five gifts per child in addition to winter clothing).
    • You can also buy something for parent(s)/caregiver(s) (a gift card to a big box store is recommended).
       
  2. We will email to you the information for your specific adopt-a-family, including: 
    • first name of each child, their age(s), clothing and shoe size(s). If clothing is not noted on the form, that means they would prefer a gift card to pick out their own clothing.
    • each child's wish list.
    • their referring worker's name and phone number.
    • the office address where you can ship or drop off gifts.
       
  3. Please do not wrap the gifts, but, if possible, donate wrapping paper for the family to wrap their children's gifts.
     
  4. At least one week before the delivery date, connect with your Adopt-A-Family's referring worker to coordinate a mutually convenient shipping delivery date or drop off date/time.
     
  5. Deliver the unwrapped gifts or have them shipped to the referring worker by Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. Please do not deliver gifts to the family's home.

2022 adopt a family graphic

 

 

 

 


GENEROUS DONORS BRIGHTEN UP THE HOLIDAYS

Our 2022 Adopt-A-Family Program was exceptional in many ways. More families and children than ever received abundant gifts, clothing, and necessities that helped to make their holiday season special. Nearly 500 donors provided comfort and joy for 685 families and brought smiles and laughter to 1,537 children.

However, the impact goes beyond sheer numbers. The kindness and compassion that our donors expressed, made an impression in the hearts and minds of the families we serve. Here is just one example of a special thank you we received from one of our practitioners. It’s a testament to the power your giving has had in our families’ lives.

“I wanted to say THANK YOU for this program. The three donor families I worked with were really generous and went above and beyond with their kindness and thoughtfulness. One of the donor families just happened to have gently used baby items ready to donate, which the family they were matched to was ever so grateful to receive. It was truly a blessing for me to be a part of this exchange and see how the donors really got into making this special for the clients, and the clients’ gratitude and being overwhelmed by the generosity.

One of my clients said that she wants to sign up to be a donor for next year. She has a pending job offer and will hopefully be in a much better place next Christmas.”

THANK YOU to all the amazing donors who generously reached out to help others have a Happy Holiday! Whether it was a solo project, a corporate team builder or non-profit organization’s outreach, you all came together to be a part of an amazing community initiative for change. Your generous giving has inspired others to want to give back as well! This program would not happen without each of you and your holiday spirit! You can learn more about the 2022 program.

wrapped gifts in front of fireplace

three people standing with red gift bags

Back to top

Close
Fairfax Virtual Assistant

Related Resources