Pair Works to Help Families in Need

CLARIFICATION: See clarification here.
VILLAS ­– Two women who “like to help others” are gearing up to help those less fortunate across the county and are hoping the community will help, too. 
Sharon Kane is sponsoring her Adopt-a-Family Christmas Program for the seventh year in Cape May County, and aims to help about 55 families feel the “Christmas magic.”
She also is working with The Branches Episcopal Outreach Center, Rio Grande, to collect blankets, tents, sleeping bags and ready-to-eat foods for the county’s homeless under another program called Operation Give Warmth.
Her friend, Ernestine Williams, is leading Operation Blue Christmas for the second year, showing solidarity, support and appreciation for the local police officers working Dec. 25.
“I need to focus on something positive at this time of year,” Kane said, acknowledging that she suffers from seasonal depression. “Helping others is like therapy for me. It makes my Christmas because I am able to help others, which is what the season is all about. I’m blessed to be able to do these things.”
Williams echoed her friend’s thoughts, adding “There is so much turmoil going on in the world, doing something positive to help others is my chance to pay it forward. I enjoy being able to help others.”
However, the women can’t do it by themselves, so they are asking residents and businesses across the county to help support their efforts by adopting a family, donating items or making financial contributions. A benefit for the Adopt-a-Family Christmas Program is planned for 1-5 p.m. Dec. 17 at the West Cape May Fire Hall, 732 Broadway. Admission to the fundraiser is free. However, donations will be accepted for a variety of activities including a visit with Santa Claus, food, and drink, raffles, games, and music.
Non-perishable food items and unwrapped toys would be accepted.
“I’ve been sponsoring the Christmas family program since about 2001, no matter where I lived,” Kane said. “Here in Cape May, a number of real estate offices and families have adopted families, but we still have a few who need to be adopted.”
Kane said if someone can’t financially adopt a family, “a donation in the form of a Dollar Tree gift card can go a long way.”
The families are referred to Kane through organizations such as The Branches, and Kane often times visits them before agreeing to “adopt” them. “Some of the families are repeats from other years,” Kane said. “They get on their feet, and then sometimes suffer a setback. Others are new. What I have found over the years is that the families are very realistic about what they want. They are very appreciative of the help and support they are receiving. I just hope to spread the Christmas magic a little further.”
Kane has worked closely with The Branches while living in the area, as the homeless are a group; she often helps by providing lunch, food and personal items, and support. “There is a large group of homeless people living in the woods here, and many of them are elderly,” she noted. “We need to help provide blankets, tents and sleeping bags especially as these are items The Branches doesn’t always receive.”
The Branches, located at the Village Shoppes in Rio Grande, is an outreach ministry of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Stone Harbor, operating in collaboration with St. Barnabas by the Bay, Villas, and other area churches. 
After six years, it has grown into a six-days-per-week, multiple-activity outreach center providing a safe, positive environment for the elderly, disabled, homeless, and individuals or families living in poverty.
They serve free breakfast and lunch in the winter months, and bag lunches during the summer months provided by volunteers and area churches. Snacks, drinks, and coffee, are available all day.
The Branches stays open all day, every day when the temperatures dip and people need shelter from the cold until they can get into a motel room later in the day. Dinner is provided.
It was last Thanksgiving when Williams was helping provide dinners to the homeless when she got the idea to take the extra dinners to a couple of the area’s police departments for those working on the holiday. That idea blossomed into providing lunch for three departments last Christmas.
“All year long, we’ve watched on TV incidents with the police because of a few bad ones,” Williams said. “I know we have good officers here and they do a lot in our communities. I wanted to do something to say thank you to our police.”
This year, Williams reached out to 12 departments to see if they’d be interested in participating in Operation Blue Christmas. So far, five departments have responded with more than 150 officers working on Christmas Day.
“We are creating little care packages for the officers,” Williams said. “The Scarf It Up Club has crocheted scarves which we will be giving the officers, and we are making gumball machines to dispense Hershey hugs. At Thanksgiving, we’ll be providing coffee and pastry and Dum Dum lollipop trees for those who are working as well.”
Williams said she is hoping to include gift cards in the care bags, depending on donations.
Anyone interested in making a monetary donation, adopting a family, donating a gift certificate or gift basket, volunteering or donating food or unwrapped gifts should contact Kane at slkane59@gmail.com or call 609-435-1511.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.