by Lucie Roy
Morinville’s Marvelous Moms (MMMs) Adopt a Family founder Sarah Hall was a guest speaker at the Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce Luncheon held Wednesday at the MCCC.
Hall said individuals, organizations and businesses can help by hosting a collection box, or donating to a collection box which can include new clothing, food, gifts, household items, toiletries, and in-kind services including haircuts, facials and things for mom.
They are also looking for donations of gift cards for teens, monetary donations, or people can host a fundraiser, volunteer to pick up boxes and bring them to the distribution point, be delivery drivers and for those who wish they can adopt a family.
The MMMs Adopt a Family has provided holiday relief to families in the community since 2012.
They provide everything families need to make it through this often stressful holiday.
What they supply is not your typical hamper. The typical hamper is Christmas dinner and gifts for the kids.
What they supply is a bit different. They personally shop for each and every family member and that includes the parents and grandparents as applicable.
The initiative supplies stockings for the children and they do the whole Christmas meal- breakfast and supper. They also do a pantry filler and for a family, who is struggling around Christmas time, just to have a couple of meals and a week or two of food to sustain them, and a gift card from a local grocery store is a blessing in the most stressful season for any family.
The group makes sure they have toiletries, cleaning products, shampoo, conditioner- the basic necessities that sometimes become a hindrance to have to buy when a family is stretching their dollar.
They give them not just one hamper but a lot of families are getting 4-5 boxes of things to help them through the season.
Hall said they encourage families to adopt entire families.
One of the services that they provide, not only do they take care of families to do hampers for them but match families, businesses and people that adopt an entire family.
They get details, with permission from the family, and can shop for that family and deliver it to them as well.
Hall said they have a lot of repeat organizations and families adopting entire families every year.
Hall spoke of the many partners and excellent community support and mentioned but a few- Andrew Webb Carpentry and the golf tournament they host, Nourish and the logistics and distribution point at Jandel Homes, Morinville Youth Group and Sturgeon 4-H.
Hall said one of the most asked questions is how they work with the Knights of Columbus Hamper Project, Midstream Support Society, and the Food Bank.
“We Collaborate with them,” said Hall, adding she meets with Midstream a couple of times a week. Every time they get applications in, they take the neediest and some of the newer families that are struggling and Midstream takes some of them that require continuous support.
MMMs will help those families with bigger needs and those who have experienced tragedy, cancer or death.
They also help the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation (JMMF) with families they are supporting.
The group covers Sturgeon County but most of their families do come from Morinville.
What started out as helping thirteen families in 2012 has grown to 60-80 families assisted per year.
They now have an application process, a Treasurer, sponsorship- a whole team of Moms that are dedicated to just creating the best possible Christmas experience for the neediest families in Morinville.
For more information Ph. 780-231-6682 Email:mmmoms@hotmail.com and Facebook: MMM’s Adopt A Family.
