More than 11,000 Montgomery County families were matched with holiday assistance by the annual Holiday Giving Project. For more than 30 years, the Holiday Giving Project of Montgomery County has provided Thanksgiving and December holiday assistance to low-income households. A network of social workers, school counselors and other human service professionals refer families in need for holiday assistance to the County’s Department of Health and Human Services. The Department then distributes valid referrals among the Holiday Giving Coalition, made up of local non-profits, faith-based organizations and governments. Each member of the coalition adopts specific zip codes in the county to serve referred families in need, by providing food, gift cards and toys collected through donations.
In 2019, the project successfully matched 11,433 families for the December holidays; including matching 23,304 children with 31 Holiday Giving Coalition members. Montgomery County Public Schools provided nearly half all referrals.
“We are extremely fortunate in Montgomery County that we have a dedicated group of organizations who join us each year to serve our families in need,” said Raymond Crowel, director, Department of Health and Human Services. “We also have a generous community who steps up by providing monetary, food and gift donations.”
Children in Montgomery County experience a poverty rate of over 9 percent, while 35 percent of public school students are poor enough to qualify for subsidized meals.