Creative Door Makes Holiday Magic with the Surrey Christmas Bureau

Each year, there are parents who have to choose between providing their families with basic necessities and giving their children an experience that many take for granted— waking up on Christmas morning with presents under the tree and a warm meal on the table.

For the Surrey Christmas Bureau (SCB) in British Columbia, this is a decision that it wants no parent to have to make. The SCB's Adopt-A-Family program aims to help low-income families create a memorable holiday for their children by matching them with individuals and businesses who provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Christmas Day as well as gifts for the entire family.

In 2016, Creative Door's Vancouver branch signed up as a sponsor and was matched with a young family of five: a mom and four children between the ages of five and fifteen.

"As soon as we were matched with the family, our team reached out to them to find out what kind of foods the kids like, their favourite toy, and what their hobbies were," says Nicole Gordon, commercial service coordinator at Creative Door's Vancouver branch. "We wanted to be sure that we got to know each individual family member so that we could make the experience as magical as possible."

With the family's interests in mind, the Vancouver team handpicked gifts for each of the four children and their mom as well as five individual stockings. The team also packaged a food hamper filled with breakfast treats, snacks, and all the ingredients for a traditional Christmas dinner. Then, they stopped by the family's home for a very special delivery.

"With the Adopt-A-Family program, you get to put a face to the people you're helping," says Nicole. "We got to know this wonderful family and got to see the looks on their faces when we delivered the gifts and food hamper. Seeing the kids smile was a Christmas gift in itself."

The SCB helps over 1,000 families make their Christmas dreams come true every year in British Columbia. Find out more about the SCB Adopt-A-Family program and how to apply to be a sponsor.