The Volunteer Center of Sacramento’s Adopt-A-Family Program provides food and gifts for local, low-income families during the holiday season. Without this program, these families may go without Christmas dinner and gifts for their children to open on Christmas morning. Please, help make Christmas bright and Adopt-A-Family this year!
Click here to visit our new website and online database of adoptable families…search for the right family and adopt instantly online!

TO ADOPT/SPONSOR:  In 2010, you adopted 222 families. In 2011, you adopted 412 families. Let’s see how many families we can help in 2012! Adopting a small family (ex: single mother and 1 young child) can cost as little as $125. Please gather your family, friends and co-workers and adopt – local families need your support. See 2012 Guidelines for more information.

BE ADOPTED: To apply for the 2012 Adopt-A-Family program, please pick up an application between 10am-3pm Monday – Friday from  November 1 – November 30.

Applications must be picked up and dropped off once completed at The Volunteer Center of Sacramento, 1300 Ethan Way, Suite 600, Sacramento, CA 95825.

Applications cannot be completed over the phone or online.

To complete your application, you must provide YOUR OWN COPIES of the following:

• Valid California drivers license or ID for parent/guardian
• Proof of income (including everything you receive: paycheck stubs, CalWorks, AFDC, EDD, SSI). Applicants with no proof of income will not be accepted into our program.
• Current utility bill or proof of where you reside.
• Birth certificate or social security card for each child.
• Letter from YOU – the parent/guardian – explaining why your family needs to be adopted this year. This letter is very important! It explains why your family needs assistance. Please incude information about your current living and employment situation and any struggles your family may be facing.
• Dear Santa letters – one from each child. If your child is too young to write, drawings are cute!
• Pictures of your children are encouraged and will be sent to your adopter. They are not mandatory.

Please make sure you bring copies of all this information with you. Copies cannot be made at the Volunteer Center of Sacramento or surrounding businesses.

DONATE  We always need extra gifts and wrapping supplies. When a child is accidentally overlooked or an “adopter” fails to drop off their gifts, we have “emergency” gifts on hand to give them. Please help us stock our emergency gift closet of board games, dolls, toys, and clothing (all sizes). At this time of year we ask for new items only.

VOLUNTEER  If you have an extra couple of hours, we need you to help run the program. Volunteers are always needed to help with data entry, distributing/collecting program applications, reading and emailing “Dear Santa” letters, organizing and decorating the gift distribution center, loading and unloading presents, making signage, creating outreach material, and wrapping presents.

• Adopt-A-Family assisted 166 families and 462 children in 2009.
• Adopt-A-Family assisted 222 families and 567 children in 2010.
• Adopt-A-Family assisted 412 families and 1,256 children in 2011.

Please visit www.adoptafamilysac.org to see all of our available families!