Our FAQ

If you have any questions about our organization, we try to answer all of them on the website for you. Here is a list of commonly asked questions. All of the answers can be found in our FAQ page.

• What does it mean to “Adopt a Family”?
• How much does it cost to adopt a family?
• Can we meet the families?
• I can’t adopt a family, how else can I help?
• Can I come to the shelters or centers and deliver the gifts?
• Can I donate used items?
• Where or how do I volunteer?
• Where can I drop off my holiday gifts?

Dear Friends and Helpers,

I would like to start by thanking you all for your incredible support at Friends and Helpers. Because of your kindness, we were able to help over 10,000 mothers, children, and grandmothers have a wonderful 2008 holiday season. They entered the new year with hope and light and felt loved. I am truly humbled by your generosity and overwhelmed by your continued support of Friends and Helpers. People often tell me that I call Friends and Helpers the “little charity that could” and you have proved me wrong. We are now the “Big Charity that Does!” This is only possible because of each and every one of you. Every hour that you give us, every gift, every gift card, and every box that is loaded on a truck helps us reach our goal.

About Friends and Helpers

Friends and Helpers was started in 1992 in Southern California. Our Founder herself learned during her first marriage that being abused robs you of self-esteem, and often those closest to you don’t have any idea what you are experiencing. There are no glamorous events or celebrity-attended dinners to raise money for those abused. Survivors of abuse are often forgotten and they are left alone to somehow tear themselves out of that situation without help.
Abuse can strike anyone and anywhere; spouses, parents, children and teens can fall victim to abuse. When the survivors do get brave enough to finally leave their abusive situation, many flee with their kids and the clothes on their backs to counseling centers and shelters. We work with many of the centers and help provide love and support for those people and help them remember that they DESERVE to be loved. They are provided with a safe place to stay, clothes, food, love and support to help get them back on their feet.
That first year we started with providing a happy Christmas and Chanukah for mothers and their children who had no money, and no way of getting necessities, let alone gifts for their children. We had a small Christmas tree in our home and invited all our friends over to help us. On the tree we placed small cards with the exact gifts that those families wanted, provided to us by a counseling center. Each of us picked a family and immediately went shopping for the families. When we returned home, everyone wrapped their gifts and got them ready to be delivered to the center. The counseling center made it possible for the mothers to pick up the gifts, and on Christmas morning, or for Chanukah, their children smiled as they opened gifts from Santa or from their own moms or dads. Our Holiday program is still our biggest event of the year.
Since that day, we’ve provided a Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah for thousands of families!
We’ve also added many new programs including a Back-To-School program to help underprivileged kids, a teen support program, a Mother’s Day program, and an Easter program. In addition we also support various churches and synagogues, and we do our best to respond to individual requests throughout the year.

Charity of the Month: Friends and Helpers

Friends and Helpers is a tool so that the generosity of others can directly benefit those in need. One hundred percent (100%) of the money and gifts donated go directly to those who need it.

The Founders of the organization pay for all overhead costs, and the volunteers donate countless hours of service to ensure every dollar goes directly to the families and teens that
need it.

F & H supports counseling, promote job training and encourages education. The strength that they need to change their lives comes from self-esteem, positive reinforcement and the support of you and me. You, too, can make a difference by visiting www.friendsandhelpers.org and make a donation today.