Fall is a time for Beginnings

I love the Fall.  Memories of getting new clothes and shoes for school, new school supplies, new friends, new beginnings.

However, for many families in our community this is a time of added anxiety. Parents desire to provide the things their children need, but for these families there is no money for new shoes to fit growing feet, no money for new school uniforms, clothing or warm gear for the winter.

 

Secret Families of Madison County ends up filling in those gaps with the presents we provide to our families. Most of the gifts purchased are new shoes, jeans, winter jackets, underwear and socks. Those items can eat up our $100/person budget pretty quickly.

So, during this fall, can you be thinking of ways to help us help the struggling families in your community?  Please contact us to let us know how you plan to help. This will be a great encouragement to us.

Can you plan NOW to:

1. Put away some $ each week

   in preparation to sponsor a portion of a family ($100 per person, ½ a family of 5 – $325, an entire family of 5 – $650).

2. Involve your friends, family, co-workers, small group

   to join you in this effort to expand your reach if going it alone seems like too large a task.

3. Ask your extended family to put Christmas Gift $ for adults to SFMC instead.

   Then ask them to help on the first Saturday to shop, wrap and deliver. You may be shaking up the status quo, but it will be for a good reason.

4. Ask your employer if they can sponsor a family or two

   this year instead of having a Christmas party or providing employee gifts. Then plan to get a group together to shop, wrap or deliver gifts to have a team-building experience.

5. Ask your church if they can add Secret Families of Madison County to their Christmas outreach.

   There’s room for us and Operation Christmas Child (Shoebox) and Angel Tree. We would love to come and talk to your pastor or missions committee about how they can get involved.

6. Ask your civic or social clubs to sponsor a family.

   We love going out and speaking to groups about Secret Families.

7. Join our planning team

   to assist in fundraising in the Madison County area. Our team is so good that people think we have tons of people on our board, but we can count ourselves on one hand. We need your help.

We have so many terrific volunteers who sacrifice their time on the first Saturday of December to make a happy Christmas a reality for our families. But the sad truth is that without the fundraising, financial commitments and sacrifice of others to donate to Secret Families of Madison County, we will not have the money to purchase our gift cards to shop for these families.

Fall is also time of year when SFMC contacts the schools to let them know how many families we are committing to help this Christmas.

This is done every year without the funds to back up those numbers in our bank account. God is always faithful and has provided every year. Along with your prayers for our ministry we need to know that you are behind us financially this year, in whatever way you are able to assist.

Thank you!