2026 Adopt-A-Family Holiday Program
Help make this holiday season brighter for families across Los Angeles through El Nido Family Centers’ 2026 Adopt-A-Family Holiday Program.
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For many families, the holidays bring added financial pressure. When you adopt a family, you’ll shop from a personalized holiday wish list, helping parents and caregivers create a special holiday for their family without stretching already super tight household budgets. Your gifts will be delivered by their El Nido case manager as a holiday surprise for the family.
Important Dates
Adopt-A-Family launches:
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Deadline for donors to sign up:
Friday, November 13, 2026
Family matches sent to donors:
By Friday, November 20, 2026
Gift drop-off window:
December 1–10, 2026
Ways to Help
Adopt one family or several.
Team up with family, friends, colleagues, or your community group to adopt a family (or several!) together.
Corporate and community partners are welcome to adopt multiple families or organize a group effort.
Share Adopt-A-Family with others who may want to participate this holiday season.
How It Works
1) Sign Up. Complete our Donor Sign-Up Form by Friday, November 13. You can adopt one family, several families, or team up with friends, colleagues, or a community group.
2) Get Matched. By Friday, November 20, the El Nido team send you information about the family or families you’ve been matched with, including the number and ages of family members and their personalized holiday wish list. Your match email will also include your designated El Nido gift drop-off location.
3) Shop & Wrap. Shop for your family using their wish list as your guide. Please wrap all gifts before dropping them off at El Nido. Gifts should arrive ready for our case managers to deliver directly to the family as a holiday surprise. Personal notes and holiday cards are welcome!
4) Drop Off at El Nido. Bring your wrapped gifts in a bag or box clearly labeled with the case number provided in your match email to the El Nido location specified in your match email between December 1–10. El Nido case managers will deliver gifts to families in time for the holidays.
Why Adopt-A-Family?
Each participating family is nominated by an El Nido case manager who works with them directly. Donors receive a personalized wish list based on the needs, interests, and holiday wishes of their matched family, making your giving personal.
Whether you participate individually or with family, friends, colleagues, a faith community, or another group, Adopt-A-Family is a direct way to make the holidays brighter for an El Nido family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about participating in Adopt-A-Family? Find answers to some of the most common questions below.
There is no required spending amount. Family sizes, needs, and wish lists vary, and every gift is greatly appreciated. Give what feels right and manageable for you.
Not at all! Each family’s wish list includes a mix of needs and wants to help guide your shopping. You are welcome to purchase as much or as little from the list as you’d like. The wish list is meant to offer ideas, not create an expectation that every item will be purchased.
Your family’s personalized wish list is the best place to start. It will include information about family members and their individual needs, interests, and holiday wishes. All donated items should be new.
Yes. Please wrap all gifts before bringing them to El Nido and bring them together in a bag or box clearly labeled with the case number provided in your match email. Gifts should arrive ready for our case managers to deliver directly to families.
No. Adopt-A-Family is designed as a holiday surprise for participating families. To protect their privacy, donors receive only the non-identifying information needed to shop for their matched family, and families do not receive donors’ personal information.
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You are welcome to include a holiday card or note with your gifts, but please do not include personal contact information.
No. To protect the privacy of the families we serve and preserve the surprise, donors should not deliver gifts directly to families. Please bring your gifts to the El Nido location provided in your match email, and our case managers will coordinate delivery.
Absolutely! Families, groups of friends, colleagues, faith communities, clubs, and other groups are welcome to participate together. You are welcome to sign up to adopt more than one family.
Please contact Carter Ashforth soon as possible. This gives our team time to find another donor and make sure that family can still receive gifts.