Family Giving Tree

FULFILL THE WISHES OF CHILDREN IN NEED WHILE INSPIRING PHILANTHROPY, KINDNESS, AND VOLUNTEERISM

SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1990, THE ORGANIZATION HAS HELD A BELIEF THAT NO ONE SHOULD FEEL FORGOTTEN DURING THE HOLIDAYS. DELIVERING A WISHED-FOR GIFT BRINGS JOY AND HOPE AND DELIVERS THE PRICELESS MESSAGE, "YOU MATTER. YOU HAVE VALUE." THE ORGANIZATION WORKS WITH NEARLY 400 SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES (HOMELESS SHELTERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, REHABILITATION HOUSES, AND VARIOUS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS) AND SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT ITS HOLIDAY WISH DRIVE. THESE AGENCIES AND SCHOOLS SUPPLY THE ORGANIZATION WITH THE NAME AND TWO SPECIFIC WISHES OF THE CHILDREN AND INDIVIDUALS THEY SERVE YEAR-ROUND. A WISH CARD IS PRINTED FOR EACH CHILD OR INDIVIDUAL, DETAILING AGE, GENDER, FIRST NAME, AND THE SPECIFIC GIFT WISHES. THESE WISHES ARE THEN DISTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 1,100 VOLUNTEER DRIVE LEADERS (INDIVIDUALS, SOCIAL GROUPS, AND BUSINESSES) WHO DISPLAY WISH CARDS - OFTEN ON HOLIDAY TREES - IN A PUBLIC AREA, SUCH AS A BUSINESS LOBBY. BY SELECTING A WISH CARD, AN INDIVIDUAL COMMITS TO PURCHASING A GIFT TO DONATE FOR THOSE MOST UNDERSERVED DURING THE HOLIDAYS.THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED APPROXIMATELY 1,600 VOLUNTEERS IN 99,000 SQUARE FEET OF DONATED WAREHOUSE SPACE IN DECEMBER 2021 AND 2,200 VOLUNTEERS IN 103,000 SQUARE FEET OF DONATED WAREHOUSE SPACE IN DECEMBER 2020, WHERE THE DONATED GIFTS ARE THEN SORTED, WRAPPED, AND DISBURSED TO THE ORGANIZATION'S AGENCY PARTNERS FOR DISTRIBUTION. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION MAINTAINS A VIRTUAL GIVING TREE ON ITS WEBSITE: WWW.FAMILYGIVINGTREE.ORG. DURING THE YEARS ENDED APRIL 30, 2022 AND 2021, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED HOLIDAY GIFTS TO APPROXIMATELY 53,000 AND 78,000 CHILDREN, RESPECTIVELY.

THE ORGANIZATION ALSO HOLDS THE CONVICTION THAT EDUCATION IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE PATH OUT OF POVERTY; AND ACCORDING TO THE US CENSUS BUREAU, ALMOST ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR CALIFORNIA CHILDREN ARE CURRENTLY LIVING BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE. TOO OFTEN, THESE CHILDREN LACK THE MOST BASIC SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND EDUCATIONAL TOOLS REQUIRED FOR LEARNING AND HOMEWORK. THE ORGANIZATION'S BACK-TO-SCHOOL DRIVE AIMS TO CLOSE THE EDUCATIONAL GAP FOR CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, BY PROVIDING BACKPACKS FILLED WITH ESSENTIAL, GRADE-APPROPRIATE SCHOOL SUPPLIES.USING A SIMILAR METHOD OF OPERATION, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED BACKPACKS FILLED WITH ESSENTIAL, GRADE-APPROPRIATE SCHOOL SUPPLIES - INCLUDING STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART AND MATHEMATICS) SUPPLIES - TO APPROXIMATELY 25,000 AND 23,000 K-12 STUDENTS, WHO QUALIFY FOR THE FEDERAL FREE AND REDUCED PRICE MEAL PROGRAM, DURING BOTH YEARS ENDED APRIL 30, 2022 AND 2021, RESPECTIVELY. OVER 300 DRIVE LEADERS VOLUNTEERED TO ASSIST IN DISPLAYING BACKPACK AND SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST CARDS TO SUPPORT THE GOAL OF THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL DRIVE. THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED APPROXIMATELY 300 DRIVE LEADERS AND 500 VOLUNTEERS IN 25,000 SQUARE FEET OF DONATED WAREHOUSE SPACE IN AUGUST 2021 AND 500 DRIVE LEADERS AND 1,800 VOLUNTEERS IN 40,000 SQUARE FEET IN AUGUST 2020, TO SORT, FILL, AND DISTRIBUTE THE BACKPACKS TO QUALIFYING SCHOOLS. APPROXIMATELY 300 SCHOOLS AND NONPROFIT AGENCIES RECEIVED THE FILLED BACKPACKS FOR DISTRIBUTION TO QUALIFYING K-12 STUDENTS.