The Adopt a Family Holiday project, run through the Tri-Community Food Bank, has had a lot of help from Tri-Community volunteers, especially from BHP Billiton and the San Manuel Jr/Sr High School.
BHP Billiton has donated to the Tri-Community Food Bank for the Adopt a Family Holiday project as well as a monetary donation for food supplies, and this has been the case since 1999. Kathy McClure of BHP Billiton has co-managed the project with Joyce McClung of the Tri-Community Food Bank.
In addition, BHP Billiton employees put in time and effort to shop, wrap and deliver to the adopted families before the holidays. In the last year, the families have included 45 children. $100 was spent for each child, half on toys from their wish list and the other half for needed clothing and other items.
This year, as the deadline for getting gifts wrapped loomed ever nearer, project managers Kathy McClure reached out to San Manuel Jr/Sr High and spoke with Counselor Terri Simon, who referred her to Denise Fischer. Denise, who leads the National Honor Society for the Jr. High students, graciously offered to have some of the students wrap the gifts so that delivery could occur on time.
“While they asked me as the NJHS advisor,” Denise told the Miner, “we had NJHS members, NHS members, student council members, teachers and staff help. We wrapped presents for 14 families that were adopted by BHP in about 2.5 hours.”
“We really appreciate all the work the students did to help us make everyone’s Christmas a bit brighter,” said Kathy.