This time last year, despite battling the hardships of the pandemic, Ronald and Sarah Garrett adopted a 12-year-old boy into their family. The Give A Christmas program helped them give him and their other three children presents come Christmas morning.
“It really helped out, especially last year with COVID and everything,” said Sarah Garrett. “We had COVID around Christmastime, so we couldn’t even really spend Christmas with (our children) because we had to quarantine.”
“And five days before that was our daughter’s birthday, so we couldn’t even spend her birthday with her either,” she said.
Throughout the year, the family faced numerous financial hardships since Sarah stopped working to homeschool their four children, and Ronald cannot work due to a disability.
Through the Give A Christmas program, they were able to buy their newly adopted son clothes and their daughters LOL dolls, slime and some clothes as well.
Ronald’s advice for those seeking assistance from the Give A Christmas program this year?
“Don’t be afraid of asking for help,” he said. “A lot of people are, but you should never be afraid to ask for help.”
The Burlington County Times’ annual Give A Christmas program helps struggling Burlington County families celebrate the holidays by providing them with gift cards to purchase presents.
With the help of the Times’ partner organization, NJ 211 — a nonprofit that connects people with community resources that provide living necessities — applying for assistance is easier than ever.
Burlington County residents who require assistance can text GAC to 898211 to check their eligibility. Eligibility is based on income and recipients may include, but are not limited to, parents with sick children, single family households, people struggling with addiction and people who are unemployed.
Applications for assistance will be accepted through Nov. 21. There is no deadline for donations.
Anyone interested in donating can do so at www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/giveachristmas.
For questions about the Give A Christmas program, contact Executive Editor Audrey Harvin at aharvin@gannett.com.
Aedy Miller covers education and the economy for the Burlington County Times, Courier-Post, and The Daily Journal. They are a multimedia journalist from Central Jersey and a recent graduate of the George Washington University.
Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.