– I think it’s sad that people don’t have enough money to celebrate Christmas, but it’s nice that it’s possible to help, says Ava Toft Abrahamsen (10). Together with her older sister Mie (13), she is at the local shop in Grimstad to pledge bottles. They use the 210 kroner they receive to buy gingerbread houses, decorations, chocolates and chocolates for a single mother with three small children. Like 150 other families in Agder, the sisters and parents have “adopted” a family for Christmas. This means that they will contribute Christmas food, Christmas presents for the children and Christmas snacks for a family that cannot afford to buy them themselves. Ava and Mie decided to buy a gingerbread house and accessories for part of the mortgage money. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news Extending a hand Help is given completely anonymously. Neither the donor nor the person receiving help will know about each other. The Grimstad family has “adopted” a family through the voluntary organization Hjelp oss å hügel Aust Agder. General manager Gunn Ellen Bendiksen says that they are experiencing a record number of families who want to lend a hand. But also by families who want help. – This year, 60 families have signed up to help. Last year there were 30. It shows that the joy of donating is there and that people are aware that many are struggling, she says. In this box, the Abrahamsen family puts Christmas presents and Christmas snacks for the family. They will also buy in rib dinner. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news Bendiksen is touched both by those who need help, but also by those who choose to help. – Many are completely “ordinary people” who choose to drop Christmas presents for each other and instead give the presents to another family. This is how you are moved. Need more families Elisabeth Thorsen in Help us to help Vest Agder is also experiencing an enormous influx. 460 families or single people have so far reported a need for Christmas help. 100 families have registered as “adoptive families”. This is a large increase from last year’s 20, but is still not enough. – We need more adoptive families, says Thorsen. Elisabeth Thorsen (left) and Anne Berhus in Hjelp oss å hæver have a great job of connecting families who want to help with those who need help. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news She says that it is painful to read through the applications. – Many people do not dare to tell others that they cannot afford food and Christmas presents, but with the help of these angels who help, it is resolved. news has asked some of those who receive help to tell us completely anonymously what the help means: ASingle mother: Without this support we would have had a terrible Christmas ahead of us, the finances are already tight enough, so I would not have been able to give my child a present or a proper dinner.. Without support, it would have been the case that I would have had to prioritize that the child gets food and that I wait until she is full and eat the leftovers.. PPerson: It was a bit of a mixed feeling to receive this, but all in all, it feels really good that someone actually wants to help where needed. It was good to see that there was enough food, and not have to think about what you could make with few ingredients. Got a blanket too, it came in very handy. Live in a cold and drafty apartment, and do not have the opportunity to have the heating on every day. Getting very close The girls’ mother Sanne Toft Abrahamsen saw that the aid organization was calling for adoptive families on Facebook. She and her husband Stig Arve agreed that this was nice to do together as a family this year. – It comes very close when so many people have applied for help. It could have been our neighbors who can’t afford Christmas food, she says. Stig Arve Abrahamsen, Ava and Sanne Toft Abrahamsen have also engaged family and friends. They have called for pledge bottles and Sanne’s mother has knitted socks for the family they help. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news Abrahamsen thinks it’s nice that both recipient and donor are anonymous. All she has learned is that they are to help a single mother with three little girls. – We also found out a bit about clothing sizes, gift wishes and what kind of Christmas dinner they want, says the mother of two. Have bought a doll’s house The sisters believe that the gingerbread house they have just bought will be to their liking. – In any case, we think it’s a lot of fun to make, so we hope they think so too, says Mie. Now they are looking forward to shopping for even more Christmas snacks for the adoptive family. They were also with their mother to shop for Christmas presents for the three little girls. – Among other things, we have given books and dollhouses, says Mie. And there are still a couple of large garbage bags with pledges that they haven’t picked up from friends yet. – I think the family will get a lot of Christmas snacks this year, state the sisters. Mie and Ava pledged bottles for NOK 210. They plan to pledge even more bottles before Christmas to buy Christmas goodies for the “adoptive family”. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news
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More and more families are “adopting” families for Christmas – how you can help – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
