Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Adopt-a-Family-Guide

"They feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of Allah, assuring them: ‘We feed you only for Allah’s pleasure." - Holy Quran (Chapter 76, verse 9-10)

Our new "Adopt-a-Family" initiative is very exciting because it brings with it an opportunity to directly make a difference in the lives of an entire family that we can see and meet. It allows us to put our words into action and make our teachings a reality for all to witness. As an active participant in this program, each Majlis will adopt an at-risk family for the winter season and provide them with food and clothing. With Thanksgiving, Eid-ul-Adhia and Christmas, there are many ways to market our involvement in this program to help families through this festive season. The department of Khidmat-e-Khalq is here to help and support each local Majlis in this effort.

This page will provide you with the guidance and resources you need to be successful in the Adopt-a-Family initiative.

Step-by-Step Guide:

In order to be successful in adopting a family on time for the winter season, please follow these steps:

Identify an organization that offers Adopt-a-Family services and connects you with the family directly
- The department of Khidmat-e-Khalq has done some of this research for you to give you a head start. Please scroll down to see a list of different organizations in different states that can be utilized for the adoption of a family for the winter season.
Contact this organization and confirm your adoption of a family.
Fill out the form on the Adopt-a-Family page and provide details of the family
Contact your assigned Naib Muhtamim of the National Khidmat-e-Khalq team and notify him of your family adoption.
Contact your assigned family, introduce yourself and your organization (Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) and provide your contact information to them
Begin collecting all necessary food, money and clothing to support this family for the remainder of the calendar year
- All items should either be donated/collected (by way of clothings drives and food drives, etc.) or purchased locally
If funding is needed to purchase the food or clothes for the family (i.e. if such supplies cannot be collected with food drives and clothing drives), consider the following options
- You can work with your local Jamaat President (Sadr) to determine if any local Sadqa funds can be used towards this family
- You can work with your local Khuddam Finance Secretary to determine if any local Khuddam funds can be used
- You can organize fundraisers locally to collect money from the general Jamaat membership or local communities at large
Stay in touch with family as desired so as not to lose contact with them
On designated date, take a group of Khuddam and deliver all goods to the family and further establish your relationship with them. Stay with them as long as you think they feel comfortable. Do not over-welcome your stay.
Contact your assigned Naib Mohtamim of the National Khidmat-e-Khalq team and notify him of the successful completion of your family adoption
Include this detail in your monthly report for December!!

For any questions or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to support you and help in any way we can. And don't forget...everything begins with prayers!!

Find Your State

To help you get started with this exciting new program, the National Department of Khidmat-e-Khalq has already done research across the country to find organizations that you can utilize in order to adopt a family for the winter holidays. Please find your state below and call one of the listed organizations for more information on how to adopt a family. For any assistance, please contact us.

Organizations by State

AZ CA DC FL GA IL MA MD MI MO NC NJ NY OH OR PA TX VA WA WI

Arizona:

Phoenix
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Community Housing Partnership		609 N 9th St, Phoenix, AZ 85006	602-253-6905	No website found. Please call them to obtain more information.
City of Phoenix - Human Services Department	Click Here	Phoenix City Hall 200 W Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003	602-262-4520
Society of St. Vincent de Paul - Phoenix	Click Here	420 W. Watkins Road Phoenix, AZ 85003	602-261-6820	Website does not state whether they would put you in touch with the family. Call and ask.

Tuscon
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault	Click Here	101 W. Irvington Rd, Suite 4-A Tucson, AZ 85714	520-434-0195
Interfaith Community Services	Click Here	2820 W. Ina Rd. Tucson, AZ 8574l	520-297-6049

California:

Los Angeles
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
South County Outreach	Click Here	26776 Vista Terrace Lake Forest, CA 92630	949-380-8144	Good program with guidance on what items to provide.
L.A. Department of Public and Social Services	Click Here	2615 South Grand Avenue 2nd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90007	213-744-4348	Email Here

Silicon Valley
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	1601 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 150 Alameda, CA 94502	510-473-0500 ext 222	Each Majlis in the Bay Area tell them that they want to sponsor/adopt a family exclusively. Each Majlis should have their own family.
Sacred Heart Community Service	Click Here	1381 South First St. San Jose, CA 95110	408-278-2160	They may have an Adopt-a-Family program. Contact to ask. If they don't, ask if they can recommend a family in need.
Innvision	Click Here	974 Willow Street San Jose, CA 95125	408-292-4286	They may not put you in direct contact with the family, but it's a good backup.

District of Columbia (Washington, DC):

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America - Chesapeake	Click Here	7901 Annapolis Road Lanham, MD 20706	301-459-2020	Their website doesn't mention Adopt-a-Family, but since other VOA chapters do this (like in Michigan), they should be able to pair us with a struggling family.
CentroNia	Click Here	1420 Columbia Road, NW Washington DC, 20009	202-332-4200	They don't have an official Adopt-a-Family program but they work with struggling families and can put us in touch with one of them.
Transitional Housing Corporation	Click Here	5101 16th Street, NW Washington DC, 20011	202-291-5535	They don't have an official Adopt-a-Family program but they work with struggling families and can put us in touch with one of them.

Florida:

Miami
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	1492 W. Flagler Street Miami, FL 33135	305-644-0335	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Neighbors 4 Neighbors	Click Here	8900 NW 18 Terrace Miami, FL 33172	305-597-4404	Can call them for information or fill out form online. They provide a good tip sheet.

Orlando
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	Silver Lakes Village Apartments 5102 Cinderlane Parkway Orlando, FL 32808	407-822-5100	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Hands On Orlando	Click Here	199 E. Welborne Avenue, #201 Winter Park, FL 32789	407-740-8652
Metropolitan Orlando Urban League	Click Here	2804 Belco Drive Orlando, FL 32808	407-841-7654	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.

Georgia:

Atlanta
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	308 South 5th Street Griffin, GA 30224	770-229-2825	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Buckhead Christian Ministry	Click Here	2847 Piedmont Road NE Atlanta, GA 30305	404-239-0058 ext. 111
Atlanta Urban League	Click Here	100 Edgewood Avenue, NE Suite 600 Atlanta, GA 30303	404-659-1150	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.

Illinois:

Chicago
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	47 West Polk Street Suite 250-2 Chicago, IL 60605	312-564-2300	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights	Click Here	208 S. LaSalle Street Suite 1818 Chicago, IL 60653	312- 660-1300	Contact Cherrell Jackson, Community Resource Coordinator by phone or email here
Chicago Urban League	Click Here	4510 S Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60604	773-285-5800	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.

Maryland:

Baltimore
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Cathedral of Mary	Click Here	5200 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD, 21210	410-464-4000
Baltimore County Department of Social Services	Click Here	6401 York Road Baltimore, MD, 21212	410-853-3024
Volunteers of America Chesapeake	Click Here	7901 Annapolis Road Lanham, MD 20706	301-459-2020	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.

Potomac & Silver Spring
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Department of Health and Human Services	Click Here	8818 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910	240-777-3100	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.
A Wider Circle	Click Here	9159-C Brookville Road Silver Spring, MD 20910	301-608-3504	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.

Massachusetts:

Boston
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC)	Click Here	They have several locations. Click here to see a list.	Click Here	They don't have an official Adopt-a-Family program but they work with struggling families and can put us in touch with one of them.
Volunteers of America - Massachusetts	Click Here	441 Centre Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130	617-522-8086	Their website doesn't mention Adopt-a-Family, but since other VOA locations do this (like in Michigan), they should be able to pair us with a family.
Catholic Charities of Boston	Click Here	Many locations. Main office is: 75 Kneeland St. 8th Floor Boston, MA 002111	617-482-5440	They said something about adopting families on another website. We should call and see if they can introduce us to a family that we can serve.

Michigan:

Detroit
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America Michigan	Click Here	21415 Civic Center Center Drive Suite 210 Southfield, MI 48076	248-353-4862	Great program. You are connected directly with the family. Call them or email here.

Missouri:

St. Louis
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
St. Louis County Department of Human Services	Click Here	121 South Meramec Avenue Clayton, MO 63105	314-615-4426	Call them to understand if they are only concerned with gifts or if food and clothes would suffice.
Urban League of St. Louis	Click Here	3701 Grandel Square St. Louis, MO 63108	314-615-3600	Website only makes a small mention about Adopt-a-Family but they certainly know families in need. Ask to be connected to one.
Catholic Charities - Archdiocese of St. Louis	Click Here	4532 Lindell Blvd St. Louis, MO 63108	314-367-5500 ext.138	Contact Beth Moritz and make sure you can connect directly with the family.
EFECT (Encouraging Families with Exceptional Children Together)	Click Here	PO Box 2345 Lee's Summit, MO 64063	816-537-5951	Fill out the form here and fax it to 816-472-7778.

New Jersey:

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	235 White Horse Pike Collingswood, NJ 08107	856-854-4660	Website only makes a small mention about Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We should be able to work with them.
United Way of Ocean County, NJ	Click Here	650 Washington Street Toms River, NJ 08753	732-240-0311	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.
United Way of Central Jersey	Click Here	32 Ford Avenue Milltown, NJ 08850	732-247-3727	Website mentions success of Adopt-a-Family in 2007 but does not explain how their process works. You will need to call them.

New York:

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America Greater New York	Click Here	340 West 85th Street New York, NY 10024-3800	212-873-2600	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Volunteers of America Western New York	Click Here	214 Lake Ave. Rochester, NY 14608	585-647-1150	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Rensselaer County Department of Social Services	Click Here	127 Bloomingrove Drive Troy, NY 12180	833-6139	Contact Terry.
Family Enrichment Network	Click Here	24 Cherry Street PO Box 997 Johnson City, NY 13790	607-723-8313 Ext. 891	Contact Jen Muckler
Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families	Click Here	112 State Street Room 300 Albany, NY 12207	518-447-5659	Contact Sherri Chromik
NYC Children's Services	Click Here	150 William Street 18th Floor New York, NY 10038	1-877-KIDSNYC	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.

North Carolina:

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Pilgrim's Inn	Click Here	236 West Main Street Rock Hill, SC 29732	803-327-4227	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they work with families in need. Call and ask if we can be put in touch with one such family.
Charlotte Department of Social Services	Click Here	301 Billingsley Road Charlotte, NC 28211	704-353-1500	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they work with families in need. Call and ask if we can be put in touch with one such family.
Volunteers of America - Carolinas	Click Here	246 Stoneridge Drive Ste. 103 Columbia, SC 29210	803-779-6465	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Urban League of Central Carolinas	Click Here	740 West Fifth Street Charlotte, NC 28202	704-373-2256	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.

Ohio:

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America Greater Ohio	Click Here	Four locations (Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Mansfield). Click Here for info.	Click Here for location numbers.	Website says all families have been adopted. Maybe they can still tell us about a family in need.
Volunteers of America - Ohio River Valley	Click Here	1063 Central Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45202	513-381-1954	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Adopt-a-Family For Christmas	Click Here	12316 Bennington Avenue Cleveland, OH 44135	216-287-5668	Contact Madeline Medley. Website does not explicitly state if you will be put in touch directly with the family. Make this request.
Columbus Urban League	Click Here	788 Mount Vernon Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43203	614-257-6300	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.
Ohio Department of Job & Family Services	Click Here	30 E. Broad Street 32nd Floor Columbus, OH 43215	614-466-2100	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they should know of families in need.

Oregon:

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America Oregon	Click Here	3910 SE Stark Street Portland, OR 97214	503-235-8655	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Family Assistance Foundation	Click Here	433 Alderwood Place Oregon City, OR 97045	503-637-6635	They allow direct contact with the family.

Pennsylvania:

Harrisburg
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America - Central Pennsylvania	Click Here	2112 Walnut Street Harrisburg, PA 17103	717-236-1440	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.

Philadelphia
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America - Southeastern Pennsylvania	Click Here	3901 B Main Street Suite 102 Philadelphia, PA 19127	215-930-0129	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Urban League of Philadelphia	Click Here	121 S. Broad Street 9th Floor Philadelphia, PA 1910	215-985-3220	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.
Greater Philadelphia Cares	Click Here	100 South Broad Street Suite 2200 Philadelphia, PA 19110	215-564-4544	They may or may not allow direct contact with family. Call and ask if this is possible.

Pittsburgh
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America - Southwestern Pennsylvania	Click Here	1650 Main Street Pittsburgh, PA 15215	412-782-5344	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.

Texas:

Austin
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Christmas Bureau of Austin & Travis County	Click Here	7301 Burnet Road #105 Austin, TX 78757	453-3950
Hill Country Christmas	Click Here			No number listed. Fill out an Application Form here
Volunteers of America	Click Here	1016 La Posada, Ste #240 Austin, TX 78752	512-481-0694	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.

Dallas
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	2906 Swiss Avenue Dallas, TX 75204	214-827-2500	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Family Care Connection	Click Here	8204 Elmbrook Street, Suite 361 Dallas, TX 75247	214-920-8493
The Family Place	Click Here	8204 Elmbrook Street, Suite 361 Dallas, TX 75247	214-559-2170 214-443-7714	Volunteering contact: Email

Houston
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	7000 NW 100, #B106 Houston, TX 77092-2038	713-460-0781	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Houston Children's Charity	Click Here	5177 Richmond Avenue Suite 525 Houston, TX 77056	713-524-2878	Download and fill out the form here. For more info, contact Melissa Fox: Email

Virginia:

Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Our Daily Bread	Click Here	10777 Main Street, Suite #320 Fairfax, VA 22030	703-273-8829	Great program. Read webpage.
Housing and Community services of Northern Verginia	Click Here	7405 Alban Station Court Suite B205 Springfield, VA 22150	703-372-5440	Ask for Irma R. García.
Union Mission	Click Here	700 South Park Rd Charleston, WV 25304	304-925-0366 ext. 138	Contact Brenda Graham.
Volunteers of America Chesapeake	Click Here	7901 Annapolis Road Lanham, MD 20706	301-459-2020	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.

Washington:

Seattle
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	1230 Broadway Everett, WA 98201	425-259-3191 x13017 or 425-212-3221	Great program. You are connected directly with the family. Many options available. Download form here and fax to 425-303-8451.

Wisconsin:

Milwaukee
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Volunteers of America	Click Here	1661 North Water Street Suite 401 Milwaukee, WI 53202	414-847-1515	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but other VOA chapters do this. We can still work with them.
Sojourner Truth House	Click Here	P.O. Box 080319 Milwaukee, WI 53208	414-643-1777	Contact Brenda Best by phone or email
Christmas Clearing Council	Click Here	P.O. Box 34 Waukesha, WI 53187	262-549-NOEL	Great program. Read webpage.

Oshkosh
Name of Organization	Website	Address	Phone Number	Notes/Comments
Oshkosh Family, Inc	Click Here	36 Broad St. Suite 300 Oshkosh, WI 54901	920-231-9520	Website does not mention Adopt-a-Family but they may know of families in need.
Harbor House	Click Here	720 W Fifth St. Appleton, WI 54914	920-955-9130	Another Link

Contact Information:
Harris Zafar
Muhtamim (Director) of Khidmat-e-Khalq
Email: hzafar@yahoo.com

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