PENNSYLVANIA — Members of the Wolf Administration gathered yesterday to celebrate the 32nd Annual Holiday Wish Program, which will provide gifts to more than 600 people this year, including more than 200 families, across Pennsylvania. The Holiday Wish program reaches individuals across Pennsylvania during the holiday season by providing gifts and resources to people in need.
“Every person deserves to have a joyous holiday, but we know that not every family always has the means to make that happen in the way that they would like. That is why commonwealth employees work every day to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the resources they need to meet their basic needs and live their lives with the dignity we all deserve,” said Andrew Barnes, executive deputy secretary for the Department of Human Services (DHS). “I encourage anyone who is able to help their neighbors this holiday season to do so, because we can all do something to make this time of year more magical for our fellow Pennsylvanians.”
Holiday Wish was started in 1989 by a small group of commonwealth employees and has since grown to include hundreds of employees across the commonwealth’s departments, including the Department of Labor & Industry, which inspected, and members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, who delivered nearly 600 toys to the Holiday Wish program this year. When a family or individual visits a local DHS County Assistance Office (CAO) to apply for benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medical Assistance, CAO caseworkers identify families and older adults in need to take part in the Holiday Wish program.
Holiday Wish participants then select a few gifts they need or would like to receive, and state employees, private organizations, and individuals sponsor a family or individual to ensure they receive special gifts during the holiday season. Representatives from commonwealth agencies and the Pennsylvania National Guard then gather every December to distribute these gifts to hundreds of families across Pennsylvania.
“It is an absolute privilege that we come together with dozens of state agencies, workers, corporations, and generous citizens to ensure that the goodwill we are extending in uniform is delivered back to those less fortunate,” said Senior Master Sgt. David J. Blough, logistics superintendent, 193rd Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Air National Guard. “Today more than 25 soldiers and airmen from six units across 10 counties have gathered here to support this worthy endeavor.”
“DDAP is proud to be a partner in this year’s Holiday Wish Adopt-a-Family Program,” said DDAP Secretary Jen Smith. “As the state’s lead agency in addressing the overdose epidemic, we know that families are experiencing hardships every day and those can be amplified during the holidays. This effort will hopefully make this time of year a little brighter for anyone who is struggling right now.”
Applications for public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.dhs.pa.gov/compass. On-site CAO services are available if clients cannot access online services or need assistance that cannot be accessed through the COMPASS website, the myCOMPASS PA mobile app, or by calling the Customer Service Centers at 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia clients or 1-877-395-8930 for clients in all other counties.
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