ARTICLE
The holiday season is often overwhelming, especially for families struggling financially. For over twenty years, the Bucks County Opportunity Council Adopt-a-Family program has strived to relieve some of that stress. This program provides financial assistance for the holidays to people enrolled in BCOC programs by pairing participant households with donors to purchase gifts and gift cards for the holidays. Donors decide how many families and/or individuals they would like to sponsor, sign up on the BCOC website, and are sent the names and ages of all family members and a donation form with instructions via email. The suggested donation value is $100 per family member and up. These are families who are actively working with a coach on the BCOC team to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Adults with no family or children are also available to sponsor, including seniors. Often, this program provides the only gifts that are received. Every year, community members are eager to make the holiday special. Their generous support is truly impactful, and donors tend to return year after year, expressing their sense of fulfillment and connection when they participate.“I support the Adopt a Family program because I struggled as a single mother. I know how hard it is to live paycheck to paycheck and try to provide the holiday my children deserve. If I can help just one family, it will make my holiday. -Sarah M. Last year, Tomasa had tears in her eyes when she received the Adopt-a-Family program gift cards. “Thank you very much for this help. I am grateful to BCOC and my generous donor. I was not expecting to get all this.” Tomasa also said that the generosity of the donor had a big impact on her personal life and her family. In winter, her husband, who is in construction, works less hours due to the cold temperatures. They know they can only use the income to pay house bills like rent, utilities, and food. The kids couldn’t believe that they were able to get what they had put on their wish lists. Tomasa will always remember the big smiles on their faces. The program is open and ready for sponsors with all donations due by December 11, 2026. The link to sign up is also available here, Sponsor Information and on the BCOC website, bcoc.org. For questions, please reach out to Danielle Bush, Volunteer and Community Connections Manager, at dbush@bcoc.org.BCOC is the lead anti-poverty, non-profit organization in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dedicated to ending poverty by connecting people with the resources they need to thrive.BCOC has five major program areas: Housing, Food, Weatherization, Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA) and the Economic Self-Sufficiency (ES) Program. Housing includes emergency services, rental and move in aid, and utility shut-off prevention. The Food Program supplies food directly to families through a network of 75 food pantries and distribution sites. Weatherization services help families in reducing their energy costs. VITA provides free income tax preparation assistance. The ES Program assists individuals and families to leave poverty permanently through case management, education, and employment. For over 60 years, the Opportunity Council has served low-income families in Bucks County by helping them to stabilize when in crisis, garner resources to achieve a livable wage, gain additional education and training, and work towards economic self-sufficiency.
The holiday season is often overwhelming, especially for families struggling financially. For over twenty years, the Bucks County Opportunity Council Adopt-a-Family program has strived to relieve some of that stress. This program provides financial assistance for the holidays to people enrolled in BCOC programs by pairing participant households with donors to purchase gifts and gift cards for the holidays.
Donors decide how many families and/or individuals they would like to sponsor, sign up on the BCOC website, and are sent the names and ages of all family members and a donation form with instructions via email. The suggested donation value is $100 per family member and up. These are families who are actively working with a coach on the BCOC team to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Adults with no family or children are also available to sponsor, including seniors. Often, this program provides the only gifts that are received.
Every year, community members are eager to make the holiday special. Their generous support is truly impactful, and donors tend to return year after year, expressing their sense of fulfillment and connection when they participate.
“I support the Adopt a Family program because I struggled as a single mother. I know how hard it is to live paycheck to paycheck and try to provide the holiday my children deserve. If I can help just one family, it will make my holiday. -Sarah M.
Last year, Tomasa had tears in her eyes when she received the Adopt-a-Family program gift cards. “Thank you very much for this help. I am grateful to BCOC and my generous donor. I was not expecting to get all this.” Tomasa also said that the generosity of the donor had a big impact on her personal life and her family. In winter, her husband, who is in construction, works less hours due to the cold temperatures. They know they can only use the income to pay house bills like rent, utilities, and food. The kids couldn’t believe that they were able to get what they had put on their wish lists. Tomasa will always remember the big smiles on their faces.
The program is open and ready for sponsors with all donations due by December 11, 2026. The link to sign up is also available here, Sponsor Information and on the BCOC website, bcoc.org. For questions, please reach out to Danielle Bush, Volunteer and Community Connections Manager, at dbush@bcoc.org.
BCOC is the lead anti-poverty, non-profit organization in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dedicated to ending poverty by connecting people with the resources they need to thrive.
BCOC has five major program areas: Housing, Food, Weatherization, Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA) and the Economic Self-Sufficiency (ES) Program. Housing includes emergency services, rental and move in aid, and utility shut-off prevention. The Food Program supplies food directly to families through a network of 75 food pantries and distribution sites. Weatherization services help families in reducing their energy costs. VITA provides free income tax preparation assistance. The ES Program assists individuals and families to leave poverty permanently through case management, education, and employment.
For over 60 years, the Opportunity Council has served low-income families in Bucks County by helping them to stabilize when in crisis, garner resources to achieve a livable wage, gain additional education and training, and work towards economic self-sufficiency.