The harsh economic downturn of 2008, compounded by the devastation left by Hurricane Ike, left many Houston-area families without the resources to acquire basic necessities like food, much less gifts, for the holiday season. Thankfully, in the spirit of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, NAM supporters rallied together to combat hunger over the holidays, providing families in need with food for Thanksgiving and food and toys for the winter holidays.
For more than 20 years, NAM and its covenant congregations, as well as community supporters, have successfully met their goal of providing food to 800 families for Thanksgiving and 1,000 families for the winter holidays. This past holiday season, those 1,800 families represented more than 7,000 individuals who were helped by NAM during the holidays. In addition to food, NAM also provided age-appropriate holiday gifts to more than 3,300 children.
“The holiday projects at NAM are a wonderful way for the community to share their blessings with families experiencing tough times,” said Carole Little, NAM President and CEO. “The food and toys allow struggling families to maintain a semblance of normalcy for their children even during stressful times.”
The reasons that clients come to NAM for help over the holidays vary greatly. For some, they recently lost a job. Others are just having a difficult time making ends meet. For people like Tameika, a family emergency disrupted their normal lives:
“We weren’t expecting to have to come to NAM this Thanksgiving,” said Tameika, “but I just unexpectedly lost my mom. She was helping us out, and after she passed away last week, we needed help. This really helps us out a lot.”
Tameika said she wouldn’t know where to turn for help for her and her three children, if it weren’t for NAM. Many of the families who received aid from NAM shared her sentiments.
Food and gift donations for the Thanksgiving and Holiday Distributions came from all areas of the city.
“Providing food, gifts and holiday hope for our neighbors in need requires a lot of support,” said Lynn Mikhail, NAM Assistance Program Director. “It takes a big group of volunteers to do the Holiday Project effectively.”
Local churches, organizations and businesses held food and toy drives, individuals donated, and hundreds of volunteers gave selflessly of their time this holiday season to positively affect the lives of thousands of area families in need.
Home | About Us | Programs | Map & Directions | NAM is on Northwest Assistance Ministries • 15555 Kuykendahl Road • Houston, Texas 77090-3651 • 281-885-4555
