Elie is executive director of D.C.’s Healthy Babies Project, which is starting its Adopt-a-Family program to ensure families have baby supplies and groceries during the holiday season. What is Adopt-a-Family, exactly?
We run this program for the holidays; we started it two years ago. Families write up a profile of their challenges and what they’ve overcome and make up a wish list of what they want.
What types of items are most in demand?
Diapers, formulas, onesies — we can’t have enough of those.
What effect has the program had thus far?
It’s about getting the community to be involved in relationships and mentor. A lot of the young moms we service are the survivors of incest and rape — some of the most tragic situations imaginable. This is a way for the community to let the young girls know that we care about them. A lot these women say they were invisible until their bellies started to rise. This helps get them in an environment where they can be safely nurtured and loved. The first year, we “adopted” 40 families. Last year, it was 140 families. It keeps growing. Initially, we were only going to do it through our board members. We decided to branch out and run it through the public. We started getting a lot of emails and calls and interest.
What has been the reaction from the women you’re serving?
They cry. They’re excited and they can’t believe that somebody would do this for them. They couldn’t stop thanking the agency, and they really feel valued.
What can the public do to help?
You can adopt a family for the holiday; you can donate gift cards. In this kind of economic climate, you have thousands of children living in poverty in the District. To help our cause, you can call 202-396-2809 or email [email protected].
– Brian Hughes
