Adopt a Family Questions & Answers
How much does it cost to sponsor a family, senior, or child?
You are under no obligation to spend a specific amount of money on a family/individual. To help you estimate, each person’s wish list contains 2 wishes under $25 and 1 wish under $50 and we ask that each family and all senior citizens receive grocery store gift cards to purchase a holiday meal.
Here’s a typical example to help in your planning: A family of 4, including Mom, Dad and 2 kids. If you buy all 3 wishes listed for Mom, 3 for Dad, and for each of the children and a grocery store gift card of $40, you would spend $340. Some wishes are well below $25 or $50. Some sponsors go beyond the wish list. This is simply an example
Who are the Adopt a Family recipients?
Volunteers of America of Minnesota serves over 33,500 needy individuals across the state each year; Adopt recipients are first Volunteers of America of Minnesota program participants. Depending on sponsor response, families in affiliated programs and community partner organizations may also benefit from the program. Volunteers of America of Minnesota Adopt a Family recipients include foster children, at-risk students, children with mental health issues and their families, homeless mothers and their children, teenagers in residential treatment, isolated senior citizens, disabled children and their family member, and disabled adults.
What is the criteria for recipient selection?
- Low-income
- Must not be receiving other holiday gift assistance
- Must be a current Volunteers of America-Minnesota client, client of Volunteers of America of Minnesota affiliated program, or client of other designated partner
- Referred by program staff of Volunteers of America-Minnesota affiliate, or designated partner organizations
The majority of Volunteers of America -Minnesota’s more than 28,000 participants are low-income and are in desperate need of support; due to the limited supply of sponsors, staff must make hard choices when selecting families, seniors, and children for referral.
Can I bring the gifts to the family I adopt?
No, due to confidentiality concerns, staff delivers gifts directly to the recipients.
Should I wrap the gifts?
Yes, please wrap and label all gifts according to the instructions you are given upon registration. The only exception is for program-wide adopts, where numerous items are collected for use/distribution throughout the year – do not wrap these items, but do label them according to instructions you are given upon registration.
How do I learn about the recipient(s) of my gifts?
We will make every effort to provide some basic information about each person on their wish list; however, due to confidentiality concerns, we cannot provide detailed information. If you have further questions about your adopt recipient upon receipt of your wish list, please contact Events at 952-945-4000 or events@voamn.org.