Children in Child Welfare System Benefit from Normal Holiday Gift Giving
by Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County
Local children, as well as their families, have seen 2020 as a year of adapting, overcoming obstacles and learning what to expect from this “new normal”. Students had abrupt changes in the spring at school, which is typically a place of stability and predictability. Many went from having breakfasts and lunches provided for them in a familiar cafeteria to joining their parents in unfamiliar food pantry lines.
Even grocery store shelves, for a time, felt foreign to our children and families. Besides the lack of toilet paper which we will look back on and laugh about in years to come, many of our children’s favorite foods were simply unavailable many days. I have staff that couldn’t find rigatoni or canned pears for weeks. While these are certainly first world problems, they can be disconcerting to children who thrive on routine.
As the majority of children have transitioned back to school, the predictability has shifted to this thing we call the new normal. Face masks, social distancing, frequent hand washing and sanitizing (although, this was an improvement for some kids).
Our children have truly been put to the test in 2020. With the holiday season fast approaching, it would be a blessing to allow the children who have been impacted the most this year the opportunity to have a Christmas that feels less like a new normal and more, well, normal.
Charlotte County children who have been removed from their parents’ care are navigating a new normal where they will not be spending the holidays at home. On top of the COVID-19 “new normal,” my heart aches for these children.
The things that make Christmas and the entire holiday season special for most people are the time with family, the delicious foods and smells, the gifts, and the hustle and bustle perfectly balanced with time to simply be. A child in a foster home, in relative- or non-relative care, or even one under supervision in-home, may not feel quite so jolly, knowing that some of those things may be absent for them.
United Way of Charlotte County funded agencies Children’s Network of Southwest Florida and the Guardian ad Litem Foundation are collecting donations to help bridge the gap between new normal and normal for these children this holiday season. Tree tags are available for children appointed to a Guardian ad Litem at Charlotte State Bank locations (Murdock, North Port, Parkside and Peachland) and the Yoga Sanctuary in Punta Gorda. A list of specific toys and other gift ideas are available at www.unitedwayccfl.org/christmas-giving. Monetary donations are accepted by Children’s Network on their website www.childnetswfl.org, and gift cards are also encouraged (Visa, Walmart, Target and Starbucks).
If you are like me, you are ready to put your holiday decorations up, bake sugar cookies, shop for those you love, and bask in the goodness that you experienced this year, even if it wasn’t the year you hoped for. As you relish the joy of this holiday season, I encourage you to give some goodness to the children in our community. Your donation can help their holiday feel just a little more normal despite all they have had to adapt to this year.
For more information, please visit www.unitedwayccfl.org/christmas-giving or call the United Way of Charlotte County at 941-627-3539. Mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty. Angie Matthiessen is the Executive Director of United Way of Charlotte County. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.