The Holiday Clearing House
The Holiday Clearing House is a program dedicated to building respectful community cooperation by coordinating the dispersal of holiday assistance to meet the needs of individuals and families in the Sioux Falls area through a centralized database. This program also connects donors, who provide gifts, food and household items, to families not served by any other holiday giving program.
The Holiday Clearing House is a result of the HELP!Line Center’s Community Trends and Unmet Needs Meeting in 2003. Agency representatives at the meeting saw a need to coordinate efforts to effectively and efficiently operate necessary Sioux Empire holiday giving programs. The HELP!Line Center took the lead in the effort, creating the Holiday Clearing House.
As a result of the Holiday Clearing House:
• The community avoids duplication of holiday assistance to needy families.
• The number of families receiving holiday assistance has increased.
• Sponsors and donors have increased the number of families served through their support, thus enhancing their ability to help more people.
Adoptions of families is now finished, but we are continuing to collect teen gifts for Teen Town. T
he Salvation Army’s Toy Town program provides food for families as well as gifts for children through age 12. Teenagers do not receive gifts. The Holiday Clearing House works in cooperation with the Salvation Army’s Toy Town to operate Teen Town. Teen Town allows parents to choose a gift for their teenager once they have chosen gifts for their smaller children. Your generosity would mean all children in each family will enjoy a holiday gift! The cost to sponsorship a teenager is $25 dollars. Teen gifts may be dropped off at the HELP!Line Center by December 18, 2009.
If you are looking for additional Holiday Opportunities and Assistance programs in the community, please click here.
Thank you for helping families in need this holiday season!