State Bank of Toledo presents a check to STC Adopt-a-Family committee member Micki Ferris to help purchase presents for Wishmas families. Photo by Vanessa Roudabush.

December 16th, 2022 – On Monday, Dec. 12, STC Adopt-a-Family committee members traveled all over the Tama-Toledo area from Iowa Premium Beef to STC Community Schools, collecting gifts for this year’s Wishmas event.

Over the past 30-plus years, STC Adopt-a-Family has been hosting a Wishmas event, where the community comes together to fulfill the wishlists of low-income families.

“The community support is monstrous, [and] that’s the only thing that makes this work,” said Micki Ferris, an STC Adopt-a-Family committee member.

This year, the STC Adopt-a-Family committee collected and sorted gifts for 81 families in the community with 345 individual wishlists. The families will be able to pick up those gifts on Friday, Dec. 16.

With the STC Adopt-a-Family working tirelessly around her, Ferris remembers past years when families came to receive their gifts.

“This is one thing, but to have all those people come in to get their bags. You have no idea what a blessing it is because you get people who are so thankful with tears running down their faces,” she said. It’s from the heart.”

MICA screens families, selecting those within 100% poverty in the Tama and Toledo area. STC Adopt-a-Family collects wishlists from families and anonymously assigns them a lot number to keep their privacy safe. Businesses, churches, and community members are then able to donate money or pick up a wishlist to shop for individuals or a whole family.

Businesses who donated to this year’s event were St. John’s Lutheran Church, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Living Faith United Methodist Churches, Iowa Premium Beef, Sunny Hill Care Center, Hy-Vee Dollar Fresh, Fareway, State Farm, Medicap, Abate of Iowa Motorcycle Club, WCF Financial, STC Elementary and High School, Birkwood Village, Premier Estates, State Bank of Toledo and many more in the Tama-Toledo community.

Ferris expressed her gratitude for the thoughtful donations by community members.

“People have been generous enough to donate money for us to shop for those families not adopted, and they bring in items that can be used to fulfill wishlists. Everything that is donated to this program goes to this program,” she said.

With the stress of the Holidays, Ferris understands how much of a blessing it is that the community comes together this season to help one another.

“How do you put on the brakes stopping something you’ve done for 30 years, and you know it’s so important for the community?” she asked.