MEDINA — The holiday season is known as a time of giving, and area agencies are still looking for people to do just that.

Medina County Job and Family Services and the Community Services Center each sponsor holiday adopt-a-family drives that need volunteers to buy gifts for needy children in the area.

JFS Director Mead Wilkins said his office has seen a 117 percent increase in the number of food stamp recipients in the last five years and an almost 30 percent increase in the last year.

Toys donated to the Medina Community Services Center will be distributed to families in need for the holidays. (Maria Kacik / Gazette)

“The number of people on food stamps is the biggest indicator of economic distress because it’s based on income,” he said. “(It’s) more than doubled in the last couple years, and I think that also shows the need to adopt a family.”

Kim Soboslai, human resources administrator for the JFS, said donations help families get through difficult times.

“I think it gives them hope, that there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

However, Wilkins said the people who normally give during this time of year are also experiencing hardship. He said giving has decreased from last year in certain instances.

“We’ve lost some of our key sponsors or they’ve had to limit their contributions because they’ve had to lay off staff and they’ve made cutbacks themselves,” he said. For example, he said one local firm that usually sponsors around 100 children only was able to take 10 this year.

The Community Services Center likely will see a few less sponsors this year than last year as well, Director Michelle LaMar said. The center, which is sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Medina, has had 337 families sign up to receive food for the holiday season and 262 sign up to receive gifts. So far, about 120 of those families have been adopted.

The center will provide grocery gift cards and toys to all the families who aren’t adopted by Christmas.

Contact Maria Kacik at (330) 721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.

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