Students gather together for the annual wrapping party on Dec. 10. Festive paper rustles as gifts, including an assortment of toys and necessities, are enveloped in pretty decorative wrap. The Adopt-a-Family program provides an opportunity for students to help families have a better holiday by providing gifts.

Adopt-a-Family is run by Project for Pride in Living (PPL)—a non-profit organization founded in the Twin Cities that strives to improve the situations and circumstances of families who aren’t able to sustain affordable housing and education. PPL has served more than 13,000 low-income families annually with the help of over 2,300 volunteers who have contributed more than 61,000 hours of service in 2013 according to their website.

PPL sends SPA advisories who choose to be involved a list of the family members and their gift requests so that the advisory can buy items the family needs. This year, 34 advisories participated in Adopt-a-Family. Most groups made plans and assigned each other jobs and responsibilities for buying gifts.

Before the event, sophomore Hana Martinez said, “A couple of us went shopping together. We all know what we’re contributing; we all know what we’re supposed to be doing.” Martinez is a member of the Beatrice White advisory.

The Adopt-a-Family program does not just benefit families in need but also advisories. Advisories have fun and bond together when they go and shop for gifts.

“It will be like a bonding experience, something we can do together,” sophomore Cole Thompson said. Thompson is a member of the Andrea Bailey advisory.

Seniors Maddie Flom-Staab, Samantha Linn, and Sheila Sullivan are the presidents of Community Action and Service, the group that organizes the event and formed a liaison with the Adopt-a-Family program.“It’s been a tradition since we were freshmen,” Sullivan said.

Community Action and Service has worked with the Adopt-a-Family program for many years, except last year when the event was replaced with Service Day, because it’s an enjoyable and positive experience where people can offer up their services to help families in need. “We want to put a large emphasis on local action and local volunteer work and we know that these gifts are going to families that are in the Twin Cities,” Linn said.

“I think there is something exciting about it because just the idea of helping out someone you don’t even know [to] probably have a better holiday [is] it’s just sort of like a good feeling,” Martinez said. “It’s pretty cool that our school’s doing it.”

The Community Action and Service student group is looking forward to the results of their efforts. “It’s probably our most popular event of the year and with that comes a lot of work and preparation but it’s totally worth it,” Linn said. A wrapping party was hosted in the cafeteria on Dec. 10. The co-presidents also provided baked goods that spiced up the event and added a sprinkle of delight and enthusiasm to the festivities.

The Adopt-a-Family program is a way for SPA to give back to the community in a meaningful way. “I think all advisories in the future should contribute to that [Adopt-a-Family program] because it’s fun and it’s beneficial,” Martinez said. Community Action and Service have plans continue the program into the future and keep it as a tradition because it brings the SPA community together and is an excellent way for students to have fun while contributing to public service.