The YMCA Neighbor-to-Neighbor Christmas Program is a community project where families help families have a Merry Christmas. Founded in 1990 by former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and then YMCA Executive Director John Cannon, this program is celebrating its 20th Anniversary of helping struggling families to have a merrier Christmas.  The original idea was for one family to “adopt” a family in need; neighbors helping neighbors.  The Tampa Metro Civitan Club was part of the original planning committee in 1990, which supported 50 families that first year, and continues to be an integral part of this program that has steadily grown to support 400 families every year.  

This is a year-long effort to plan and arrange the sharing of the Christmas Spirit between 400 generous families and 400 families in need, brightening the holidays for over 1500 children.  The program is dependent entirely on donations and so the number of families is limited by the number of donors.  The program is always in need of sponsoring donors, volunteers to deliver the trees and gift packets, lots of new, unwrapped toys and bicycles, and volunteers to assist families in selecting toys for their children.

Each donating family makes a $100 contribution to provide an adopted family with a Christmas to remember. Every adopted family received a cut Christmas tree and stand, ornaments, gift cards for Christmas turkey/ham/roast and other food, a Bible, a child’s book about the meaning of Christmas, and a coloring book and crayons. Each family also gets to visit the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Toy Box at the YMCA gym to select as many as 3 toys per child, including brand new bicycles and sports equipment. For many families, there would be no presents for their children and no holiday meal without this program.

The rewards of giving selflessly to our neighbors in need are great and include a special ornament in honor of the family they adopt.  Each adopted family also receives an ornament that tells them about their sponsoring neighbor (no names included).