Help make a difference for an Albany County family

“Thank you so much for making our Christmas a wonderful experience, we were so happy with the gifts and truly blessed to know there are people still out there who have big hearts and are willing to help families who are in need. We are forever grateful.”—Mother of "adopted" family

Since its inception more than 36 years ago, the Adopt-A-Family program has helped make the holidays a special time for so many local children and families.

In 2023 alone, hundreds of families had better holidays because of the Adopt-A-Family program:

• 440 Families (1126 children) were referred to and serviced through the Adopt-A-Family Program.
• 312 Donors including school and church groups, federal, state and municipal offices, corporations and businesses, families and individuals “adopted” 366 families.
• Multiple donors including school and church groups, federal, state and municipal offices, corporations and businesses, families and individuals contributed $22,255.00.
• 25 Donors contributed new, unwrapped gifts which were distributed among several families who could not be matched with specific donors. Families were also provided with a combination of Target, Walmart, Game Stop, Cold Stone, Hannaford & Market 32 gift cards.

We hope you will decide to join us this holiday season. During difficult fiscal times like these the Adopt-A-Family program is particularly crucial to brightening the holidays for Albany County children and families.

How you can help a struggling family this holiday season:

Adopt A Family. Families, businesses and organizations can pool their resources to adopt a family. We’ll give you a list that details the needs and wants of your pre-screened family. You decide how many of those needs and gifts you can fulfill by shopping for and wrapping these gifts. Most donors spend about $100 for each member of an adopted family. Some donors prefer to deliver the gifts themselves while others ask that we do it. Either way, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you made a difference for a family in need.

Donate new, unwrapped gifts. An alternative to adopting an entire family is to donate new, unwrapped gifts, which we will combine with others to help brighten the season for a child or family.

Have a Holiday Giving Tree. Decorate a tree or other space at your place of business with holiday-themed tags with a gift suggestion on each one. Members of your group or organization can pick one or more of the tags and provide a new, unwrapped gift that can be donated to the program.

Donate a service. You can donate a service or a gift card, or free coupons such as movie passes, hair cut coupons, tickets to a holiday show, the circus or other family-friendly event.

Monetary donations. We’ll use your donations to buy gifts, gift cards, groceries or other necessities for un-matched families at area supermarkets and discount stores; or to help out families who have emergencies around the holidays.

Tell a friend. Maybe you have already adopted a family or donated to another program; then pass this on to your friends or colleagues!

Schedule an appointment. A member of our staff would be happy to meet with you to explain the program and discuss ways in which you or your organization might become involved; or you can make an appointment to talk with us by phone. To schedule a visit or phone call, please call (518) 447-5580.

Get more information. You can reach us by phone at (518) 447-5580 or by email at cyfadoptafamily@albanycounty.com

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information. You can reach us by phone at (518) 447-5580 or by email at cyfadoptafamily@albanycounty.com