The Holiday Hope program at St. Matthew’s House supports families with children under 17 and seniors over 55 who live in lower city Hamilton (Wards 1-5), matching them with individual sponsors, families, or groups looking for a meaningful way to give back to their community during the holiday season.
The Holiday Hope program has been operating for over 35 years, thanks to generous donations from parishes, organizations, and individuals who see the impact that this program has on families and seniors in our community. In 2023, we served 431 families, 412 seniors, and 17 emergency appointments. Our ability to continue to serve the community next holiday season will only be possible with ongoing enthusiasm and support from generous supporters like you.
By matching sponsors with wish lists given by families in the program, our Holiday Hope Program provides new clothes, toys/household items, and grocery gift cards to these families and the older adults of the program. Grocery gift cards are purchased to ensure that the people we serve will be able to purchase enough food for the holiday season. Our program also holds emergency appointments on Christmas Eve, for any families who did not get a chance to register.
Starting in October, families and older adults register for Holiday Hope, including a phone appointment to share their specific needs for the holiday season. We take this time to learn more about their unique situations, including details about their need for clothes, toys, household items, and where they can shop for groceries. We connect participating sponsors, and together we ensure each senior or family receives a hamper of items they need by the week before Christmas.
On Christmas Eve we hold emergency appointments that allow anyone who did not get a chance to register to come in and we can put together a hamper for them on the spot. Having extra grocery gift cards ensures that they can get groceries for over the holidays, a time when most food banks are closed.
Our measure of success with this program is ensuring that every family or older person who reaches out to us for help can receive the support they need over the Holidays. However, we know that there are many more in our community who need this critical support. We want to continue to bring the warmth and magic of the season to more families and older individuals, who are dealing with the burdens of food insecurity, the demands of the colder months of the year, and the overwhelming rising cost of living.
We are encouraged by the generous support we have received for Holiday Hope each year. Individuals, families, associations, workplaces, and parishes — including those within the Diocese of Niagara — each step forward to donate for a family or a senior. There are so many inspiring stories from our partners —from toy drives to cash donations, and we would not be able to have this program without our sponsors!
We appreciate all the individuals, groups, teams, clubs, and parishes that come together to make our Holiday Hope Program a success. Every year, we are overwhelmed with families and older adults reaching out to us for help; however, the needs of our families and older persons continue to rise. With your support we can extend our reach and support to even more families and older individuals this holiday season, making a magical memory for each and every one of them.
To learn more about the Holiday Hope program and to become a sponsor, please visit us at: https://stmatthewshouse.ca/holiday-hope/
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