Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match

What if you could see the child’s face light up when you drop off a new toy? Or watch the worry slip off the faces of a family when you deliver a Christmas dinner they weren’t sure they were going to have?
    The Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services’ Holiday Sharing Program has been matching people who want to help families and seniors during the holidays for 32 years.
    Tanya Steele, the special program and volunteer coordinator at the county’s Department of Social Services, matches the families and seniors in need to donors who want to help. Once she makes a match, the donor delivers the holiday goodies straight to the people at need, giving both sides a personal connection.
    This year’s connections are up to you. Steele says 1,700 families and 2,500 kids still need donors.
    Go to Anne Arundel’s link under the local offices tab on the Department of Human Resources website at www.dhr.state.md.us to fill out a donor form. You can choose to help with gifts, food or both for families or seniors.
    If you want to help but don’t feel comfortable with the face-to-face meeting, send money to ease a family’s tight holiday budget. Send donations to Holiday Sharing Program, Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services, 80 West St., Annapolis MD 21401.