Through a year of difficulties and hardships, local organizations like Angel Tree, Adopt-a-Family, and Coats for Kids work to help families during the winter time.

The Boys and Girls Club participates in adopt-a-family annually. This program helps families in the community provide for their children during the holiday season. Each family gets paired with a donor and the donor provides basic needs for the children from shirts, socks, pants to a special Christmas toy.

“Our program is a referral based program meaning besides identifying the needs of Club families, we partner with referring agencies such as the Berlin Area School District or Green Lake County to help us identify families in our community. This enables us to further our reach and help more children,” special events and marketing manager Ashley Bartol said.

Students can help by giving donations of small gift cards or gift ideas to the Boys and Girls club. 

Along with Adopt-a-Family, the Angel Tree program through the Green Lake County Human Services also helps families in need in the surrounding areas.

“The Angel Tree Program has been at the high school for as long as I can remember.  It’s a wonderful program that helps families in our community during the holidays by providing gifts to those who would otherwise go without this holiday season,” secretary Laura Sobieski said.

Not only is Angel Tree an experience for the donors, but for the recipients as well. Traditionally, anyone could pick an angel off the tree. The angel has a list and age to help the donor pick out a few items for the recipient. Due to COVID-19, Angel Tree does not have physical angels with lists of items needed, but are taking cash or check donations to help the community.

”The families are appreciative and donors really feel good about helping the families in their community,” Sobieski said. “The high school office was accepting these donations until Monday, Dec. 14. At that time Green Lake County will pick up the $65 total in donations and get busy organizing so that they can help make this holiday season brighter for children in Green Lake County.”