Local church has adopted families for 30 years

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County is playing Santa to needy families this year -- as it has for three decades.

  Through its Adopt-A-Family program, the Media-area congregation provides Christmas gifts to the families. Church members Priscilla Hopkirk and Marge Caton are coordinating the collection of clothing, toys, books, boxes of food, and supermarket gift certificates. 

  The Chester office of the Children and Youth Services agency of Delaware County works with the church and provides the holiday wish lists of 10 families in Chester. Church members buy and donate the gifts, food items and money.

  Care is taken to find out the ages and sizes of the children and what each child would like to receive. The wish lists are posted at the church, and members bring the gifts wrapped and ready to deliver. Caseworkers for the county pick the gifts up and take them to the families. 

  The Adopt-A-Family Program was started by Hopkirk at the church in 1980 with her husband, Jack (now deceased).  She reports that over the years other church members have brought the idea to their workplaces, running similar programs. 

  However, she never expected that she would still be in charge of the program 30 years later.  Hopkirk has every intention of leading the program again next year.

 For more information, contact the church, 145 W. Rose Tree Road, at 610-566-4853 or go to uucdc.org.