Albany County Executive Dan McCoy is launching a program to ensure kids from disadvantaged families get presents this holiday season.
At the Albany County Office Building Tuesday, County Executive Dan McCoy kicked off the Adopt-A-Family Program, run in collaboration with the Department for Children, Youth, and Families. The Democrat says while most kids ask for toys, some county residents can’t.
“There's people that just need necessities to get through in life every day, they don't think about the new toy that came out, the new hot trend for the day, they're thinking about, hey, I would like to just have sheets for my bed, I just like to have a plate to eat off, a fork and knife. And you know, the requests I get from family members that see this, when they come in, it breaks my heart because I read them. And when a kid, 8-year-old's just looking for a jacket or sheets or a blanket, and not looking for a toy to play with, they're just looking for the things a lot of people take for granted,” McCoy said.
According to the county website, the Adopt-A-Family Program has seen increase in recent years. In 2020, 275 families were "adopted" through the program. In 2021, that number rose to 382 families. Last year, 327 families were adopted, according to the county executive's office.
“You can complete a registration form, and then return it to our Adopt-A-Family mailbox, then you will be contacted by one of our Adopt-A-Family elves," said County CYF Commissioner Moira Manning. "And they will let you know you know, talk to you about what size family you want to buy gifts for, it could be a small family of two or it could be a large family of eight or 10. So it's entirely up to you,” Manning said.
Peter Scotto is President of Advanced Therapy, which has donated $10,000 annual for the last five years to the program, plus an additional $10,000 this year. He says it’s a way to pay it back.
“I say it every year, it is my favorite holiday. I really love Christmas. My mother Ursula ‘Dolly’ Scotto always made it a very special time with a little money we had. So to give kids an opportunity to have something more than just a blanket or a coat or something like that and just get a toy, a GI Joe toy, or whatever it is that kids have these days, brings a smile to my face, I don't get the opportunity to see them enjoy the gifts, but I know in my heart that they’re having fun, and it's making an impact,” Scotto said.
McCoy asks those who want to donate to bring presents to the County Office Building at 112 State Street.
“Right up to the end we'll take we'll take presents. I think you do it for the whole month or no, the whole month in November into December. And they have a breakoff point. But trust me, we're not going to say no to anyone. Even if they come in Christmas Eve, we can always use it next year. Trust me, we want to get it out there. And if there's a kid out there that for some reason, we couldn't fulfill the requirement if something comes in later on we're gonna give it to, and if some family out there gets spoiled and the kids got too many presents, drop them off we'll be more than happy to get to a kid that will enjoy it,” McCoy said.
McCoy says, while there’s no set goal, the more the merrier.
“I like to get 500 presents in here or a lot of donations that we can we can put more out to a kid and not just give them one gift that they want; give them more than one gift. Because I don't think there's anyone in this room that woke up on Christmas morning or birthday that only got one present,” McCoy said.
If you want to donate but not adopt a family, McCoy says that’s welcome too.
Manning says the pandemic caused additional hardship.
“There's definitely been an increase, just you know, again, because of the pressure of finances, as well as the need is great out in the community,” Manning said.
In addition to supporting Adopt-A-Family, CYF provides services to prevent children from needing to enter foster care, works to prevent abuse and neglect, and ensures children’s mental health and other needs are met.
More information on the Adopt-A-Family program is available here.
