NBC29Holiday Sharing Program

Holiday Sharing Program

Despite the stress of school, students at the University of Virginia are making the holidays brighter for over 100 families. The Holiday Sharing Program has been around for years but this season the need is greater than ever.

The Holiday Sharing program at UVA coordinates with the Salvation Army and the Albemarle Regional Migrant Education Program. A list of 106 families was sent in and it cost between $140 and $350 to sponsor a family, depending on how many children they have.

After a slow start, Holiday Sharing Coordinator Chelsey Iaquinto and the other volunteers were able to find a sponsor for each family.

Iaquinto said, 'We stepped up, and the volunteers stepped up, advisors stepped up and we tried to reach out to as many hearts in the community as we could."

But their job isn't over yet, they have dozens of small requests hanging on trees around grounds.

Volunteer Hannah Mayhew stated, "All of gift cards are small items that really help the families in the end it helps supplement the packages."

The Holiday Sharing program wraps up at the end of the month. The clock is ticking to empty the trees and make the holidays brighter for those struggling this season.

Iaquinto stated, "However hard you may think your life if, however stressed with school and other things, at the end of the day there are people who are less fortunate and to be able to give back is well worth it."

The Holiday Sharing program is part of Madison House, a volunteer organization on grounds.

Reported by Stacia Harris
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