BOZEMAN, Mont. – Thanks to generous community members, HRDC was able to make sure many neighbors in the Bozeman area had a gift to open over the holidays. Donors expressed their wishes to spread happiness and help families impacted by COVID-19.
During the 2020 holiday season HRDC provided holiday assistance for 28 Families (112 people in the families), 60 individuals, 45 Head Start students, and 10 foster youth/blueprint youth. In total, HRDC’s informal “Holiday Giving Program” assisted 227 people in the community.
Gifts included everything from a brand new bike for a young boy whose family is experiencing homelessness, a refurbished laptop for someone wanting to start some online education courses, a car seat for a young mom who couldn’t afford one, holiday treats and handwritten notes for a homebound senior who misses his family.
While delivering Christmas Eve gifts provided by Holy Rosary Church a resident of one of HRDC’s subsidized housing units told a staff member, “I am close to 77 now. No parents, children, brothers, sisters, or even pets. It is a warm, fuzzy feeling that some people in the world have good feelings towards me.”
After experiencing multiple critical health issues this year, a single father was faced with the choice of paying his medical bills or getting holiday gifts for his son. HRDC provided some much needed stress relief by getting the family ‘adopted’ for the holidays. The single father said in response to the holiday support, “I am in tears. I’ve never in my lifetime had such genuine help. I will never forget this Christmas, thank you all from the depths of my heart. First time my boy saw me cry.”
“We are so grateful to the many families and community partners that helped make this holiday a happy one for many families. During a time where many have lost jobs or aren’t making as much, having the ability to open gifts makes such an impact and provides some sense of normalcy in a stressful situation,” said Emma Hamburg, HRDC’s Resource Development Assistant who coordinated the gifts.
