Always eager to take part in community service activities, the Solutions team was particularly enthusiastic when they adopted a local Head Start class for Christmas.

“The Community Service Committee took a survey in August, and many of the employees expressed a special interest in doing something to help kids,” says Bob, a Solutions team member.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America – 12.9 million of whom are children. One federal program geared toward helping kids from low-income families is Head Start.

There’s a Head Start program run by non-profit organizations in almost every county in the U.S. Pre-school aged children enjoy educational activities, healthy meals and snacks, free medical and dental care, and playtime in a safe setting.

In December, the Solutions Community Service Committee decided to sponsor a class of 17 children in a local Head Start class. They put a tree up in the office and decorated it with paper snowflakes printed with each child’s name and the type of gift needed.

“We worked with the teacher to find out what the kids’ needs were,” Bob explained. “Each child received four gifts: a raincoat, a pair of rain boots, a book and a toy.

“We were originally going to give just three gifts per child, but the snowflakes went so fast we added the toy so more people could participate.”

But the program was so popular that, even with the addition of a fourth gift, not everyone got to take part.

To inspire the employees, a picture of the class was hung on the wall next to the tree, with the name of each child printed over his or her picture.

“The snowflakes were all gone by the time I got to them,” Bob says with a smile. “I had to content myself with concentrating on our food drive.”

You don’t have to wait until the holidays to help kids. To learn more, visit the National Head Start Association at www.nhsa.org.