The “Give A Christmas” initiative has helped families in need for more than 50 years, raising more than $3 million in donations. Through a partnership with NJ 2-1-1, the Burlington County Times hopes to make a longer-lasting impact.
WESTAMPTON — In early November, the Burlington County Times announced the introduction of a revamped Give A Christmas initiative in collaboration with the statewide call center NJ 2-1-1.
Give A Christmas initiative has helped families for more than 50 years, raising more than $3 million in donations. The BCT’s new partnership with 2-1-1 aims to take that effort further by helping any families who reach out to the Give A Christmas campaign find solutions for the other challenges they face, and ultimately, get closer to attaining a more sustainable future.
“We empower people to find solutions,” Executive Director Melissa Acree said of NJ 2-1-1′s mission. “We give them the places to go and the information they need so they can make the call, go to the agency, and see if that agency can help them.”
Here are a few facts about this year’s Give A Christmas partner.
- Founded in 2005, NJ 2-1-1 is one of 240 resource centers of its kind throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. It connects callers to local health and human services resources for basic needs such as food, clothing, utilities assistance, legal help, counseling or disaster recovery.
- The call center has a resource database, which has accumulated 3,000 agencies and 10,000 services that span across every county of the state. The database is also available online for any user to search.
- The call center is open 24 hours every day of the year, and is also available by text message at 898211. This year, those who are in need can text “GAC” to the six-digit number, which will ask questions and direct individuals to an online application. In this process, NJ 2-1-1 will also inform the applicants of other assistance that is available to them.
- NJ 2-1-1 also operates a 24/7 homeless hotline for three counties — Middlesex, Morris and Passaic — and an after-hours homeless hotline for Salem and Hudson counties.
- In 2018, 561,592 people sought assistance from NJ 2-1-1.
Those who wish to seek help from the Give A Christmas campaign can do so by texting GAC to 898211. The agency asks that families reach out by Dec. 6, so gift cards can be distributed by Dec. 18.
Those who would like to donate can send their donations to the Give A Christmas Fund, PO Box 70260, Philadelphia, Pa. 19176-9703.
Donations must include the donation form, which can be found in print in the daily newspaper or downloaded online at burlingtoncountytimes.com/GiveaChristmas. Secure online donations can also be made on that same page.