The joyful sounds of children opening up long-anticipated gifts on Christmas morning is music to parents' ears. But for some families in the area, Christmas presents are low on the list of priorities, not for any reason other than a dollar can only be stretched so far.
For some families who have removed themselves from domestic violence situations, the list of things that have to come out of a paycheck is lengthy. Unfortunately, that makes purchasing gifts nearly impossible, especially when it's not just one child, but several, in the household.
This is where Haven House steps in.
“For many of our clients, Christmas day can be depressing for them, instead of a time of joy. As they are transitioning out of abusive situations, they can have a hard time providing Christmas presents for their children. That’s where the Adopt-A-Family program comes in. We are so thankful for the community members who have stepped forward to make Christmas a special time for these families.” Josh Sievers, the Outreach Coordinator for Haven House, said.
For the last at least 15 years, Haven House has helped to bridge the gap some face during the holidays by implementing the Adopt-A-Family program.
Anyone, a single individual or family, utilizing Haven House's services throughout the entire year is eligible for the program, though it's usually those who have used its services on multiple occasions through the year who chose to participate.
This year, eight families are participating in the program in Wayne's office and each was quickly "adopted" by a church or community member. The South Sioux City office had between 20 and 25 adoptable families.
"As of now, all our participating families have been adopted," Denise Tello, Bilingual Advocate said. "If someone new were to come in, we'd reach out to businesses and community to step in."
The adopter and adoptees never have contact with one another, nor are they given names on either side.
The person or family up for adoption fills out a questionnaire for each person. The questions include the person' favorite color and hobbies, what size of clothing and shoes they wear along with what needs and wishes they have.
The adopter uses that information to purchase at least one gift for each family member, but often times numerous gifts for each family member are purchased.
This year the deadline to drop the gifts off is Dec. 20. This allows for Haven House to wrap anything that may not already be wrapped and for the family member to come pick up the gifts a couple days prior to Christmas.
"Most people wrap them ahead of time," said Sievers. "That alleviates some of the holiday stress."
Along with those gifts, Haven House also puts together a basket of household supplies for each family to take.
But it's not just the holidays when Haven House is able to aid families with gifts and household items.
All year round, Haven House accepts donations of toys for all ages, household items like cleaning supplies and even furniture. This allows anyone utilizing the services Haven House offers to be able to "shop" for a birthday gift or much needed supplies after starting over in a new home.
"The only thing we don't really take is clothing, only because we don't have storage," Connie Reyes, Shelter Manager said. "We suggest giving that to Micah's Closet because we give people vouchers for shopping there."
Brand new undergarments are accepted donations to Haven House, as well as gift cards and gas cards.
Because some of Haven House's funding comes from grants, there are restrictions in how it can be used. That's when members of the community fill in those holes.
The Partners Program is how those holes get filled. When there are needs, but funding restrictions prevent Haven House from directly covering them, Haven House reaches out on their Partners Program Facebook page. Members of the group are able to bring in those items if they have the ability to, ensuring needs are met.
Items like football cleats and basketball shoes aren't covered by Haven House's funding, but are needs for some families with students in athletics. By posting it to Facebook, community members are able to see the needs and respond the best way they can.
On top of the Partners program, Haven House also receives donations from drives that area businesses host.
"We have two toy drives, another drive that's paper products, another with miscellaneous needs," said Tello. "Ameritas, Great Dane, local churches, Dollar General — they've all done drives."
But even with the drives and donations, some needs, such as clothing and large furniture, aren't covered, which is why Haven House partners with Micah's Closet, a local family thrift store that carries clothing. Rustic Treasures has helped with various awareness displays and negotiated furniture prices for those needing household furniture.
Not only does Haven House depend on donations, volunteers are also a necessary part of its operations.
"Volunteers this year have been awesome," Tello said. "We can't do things without our volunteers, and we're always looking for more."
Not only does Haven House offer aid to survivors of domestic violence, presentations are also available to area groups.
All of Haven House's services are free and confidential. Office hours run 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. but the crisis line. 1-800-440-4633, is a 24-hour service.
