Happy holidays!                                                                                                            Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

Spreading joy

We are grateful to dozens of community-based organizations, businesses, and individuals who have been spreading joy by supporting this year's Holiday Assistance Program. Your donations and volunteer hours helped bring gifts, food, and support to hundreds of households this month, putting smiles on faces young and old alike. A total of 374 low-income families and seniors in our communities received gift cards, presents, and household necessities from generous supporters.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to our partners in the Napa County Holiday Assistance Program, a valley-wide collaborative that includes the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, St. Joseph Health Queen of the Valley, CANV, Catholic Charities, St. Helena Catholic Church St. Vincent de Paul Ministry, and Napa County.  A special thank you goes out to Grace Episcopal Church, Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, G&J Seiberlich & Co. LLP, the St. Helena Junior Women’s Club, the St. Helena Police Department, Mustard’s Grill, Solage, Cal Mart, the Calistoga Community Chest, Sylvia’s Coffee Ladies, Acres Home & Gardening, and many individual donors, for their generosity this holiday season. Thank you also to the staff at Calistoga Ranch and Clif Family Winery for volunteering your time at our Holiday Assistance distribution days in Calistoga and St. Helena.

Want to make a difference in 2020? 

If you have the time and inclination to volunteer in the new year, we have a few opportunities you should check out.

• Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program will be getting underway in January and is looking for volunteers. Each volunteer is expected to sign up for a weekly 3-to-4-hour evening or weekend shift for the duration of the tax season, which runs from about late January through April 15. Each volunteer must also pass a certification test from the IRS before they can work with clients. We will provide you with opportunities and resources to pass that certification – including both online and in-person trainings. To learn more contact Joleen at jcantera@upvalleyfamilycenters.org.
• Our Tutoring Program at the St. Helena Primary and Elementary Schools is also seeking volunteers to work with students during the school day. Tutors must take a fingerprint background check and are expected to make a one-hour per week commitment, during the same time/day each week. We will provide you with an orientation and connect you with a specific classroom to work with. To learn more contact Lenore at ldavis@upvalleyfamilycenters.org.

Our holiday hours

Our offices in Calistoga and St. Helena will be closed for the holidays starting at noon on Monday, Dec. 23, 2019 through Wednesday, January 1, 2020. We will reopen with our normal business hours on Thursday, January 2, 2020. If you have an urgent request for assistance, please call our office at (707) 965-5010 and leave a message. Staff will be on call to address urgent requests.

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