Support a Family in Need This Holiday Season
For 23 years, KenCrest’s Family Fund has helped support thousands through the holiday season in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut.
By Sydney Kerelo
With viruses running rampant, inflation continuing to rise, and the housing market skyrocketing, thousands of families across the globe are facing hardships this holiday season. KenCrest helps the families we support each year by hosting our annual Rev. Harvey Davis Family Fund, which provides gifts to those who cannot afford them. The fund began in 1999 and is named after a former employee who inspired others, particularly the church community, to rally around the KenCrest family during challenges throughout the holiday season. This year makes the 23rd consecutive year that the great community has supported the Fund.
KenCrest’s Family Fund has raised more than $164,115 in donations since its start and has collected more than 1,058 donations to support our local families.
One of the families KenCrest supports recently underwent a hardship. The mother of a student suffered a stroke earlier this year and was left paralyzed, and she underwent two brain surgeries to help her learn to walk again.
“The Family Fund helps families, like this one, out over the holidays,” says Christaline Camacho, KenCrest’s Family Service Representative. “In our Early Learning Centers, we have ‘Christmas Wish Lists,’ where teachers will choose students, they feel will benefit the most, and then that family will receive food, clothes, or toys.”
Donations from last year’s Family Fund
According to Camacho, KenCrest’s teachers have a strong connection with the families we support, and they are the first ones to know when someone is struggling.
“We don’t advertise that we do the Family Fund yearly,” says Camacho. “We observe and try to engage with the families, and we want them to connect with us and share their struggles with us.”
While each family deserves extra help around the holiday season, KenCrest cannot support each family. Throughout the year, teachers observe and will pick two families from each classroom to include in our Family Fund.
Families receive anything from educational items like books and pencils to toys and winter clothing. The Pennsylvania community can participate by “adopting” a family, sending gifts to KenCrest, or giving a cash donation. Participants can pick from a small (2-3 people), medium (4-6 people), or large family (7+ people) to support, depending on their needs.
“We’re a team at KenCrest; we all pitch in to help support our families,” says Camacho. “If someone needs diapers or extra winter clothing, we are the first to donate.”