Holiday Giving

Share hope and joy this holiday season!

Adopt-a-Family

Sponsor a local youth or family and complete their holiday wish lists. Help our participants have a merrier & brighter holiday this season!! Visit the Adopt a Family Site

• Select a profile to see wish list details, purchasing guidelines, and drop-off instructions.
• Each profile name will include “Ames,” “Des Moines,” or NI for North Iowa” which refers to the drop-off location.
• Click “Select this Profile” to adopt the youth/family. You will be prompted to create a Roonga account to complete the process.
• Be sure to print the profile to attach to your gifts.
• Spend about $75 per sponsored individual meeting needs and wishes which may be the only gifts they receive! Please know that we do NOT expect you to buy everything listed in the profile. These are just some suggestions and the participants will appreciate whatever you can do to help. I advise that you start with the “needs.”

Drop-off Instructions:

Place gifts unwrapped in large boxes or bags, stapling the profile to label each. For multiple family members, include age and gender on gifts (example: F/12 or M/4).

+ Ames: YSS Family Counseling Clinic (125 S. 3rd Street, Ames, Iowa) Dec 12^th &13^th from 2:00-6:00 P.M.; Dec 14^th from 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Park in the north or east parking lots (if there are parking spaces available on the lower level feel free to use those) and enter the lower-level doors on the east side of the building. (This faces Duff) Volunteers will be waiting to help transfer the gifts inside.

+ Des Moines: IHYC Youth Opportunity Center (612 Locust St., Des Moines, Iowa) Dec 12^th & 13^th from 2:00-6:00 P.M.; Dec 14^th from 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Metered parking is available along Locust Street, or park in the free drop-off zone directly in front of IHYC. Volunteers will be waiting to help transfer the gifts inside. (Help bring in gifts/check the gifts in and package them up together/place gifts near identified program and cross off the profile ID on sheet)

+ North Iowa: YSS of North Iowa ( Formerly Francis Lauer) (50 N Eisenhower Ave Mason City, Iowa) Please deliver all gifts to YSS’s main location by Tuesday, Dec. 10th. If you would like assistance, please knock on our door, or call 641.423.7362 when you arrive.

Giving Trees

Stop by local businesses throughout November and December to participate in the YSS Giving Tree Program. Purchase much-needed supply items for participants in YSS programs. Each tag item will allow you to see which program you’re assisting, as it’s listed on them.

• Take a tag from a giving tree.
• Purchase the requested item.
• Return the item (unwrapped, WITH the tag attached) to that giving tree location by December 20^th.

*NOTE: You may notice labels for various “gift cards” on the labels. This allows our programs to offer participants incentives as well as fresh produce to meet regulations and offer healthy snack alternatives. Our residential programs (Adolescent Drug/Alcohol Treatment & Shelter) also need to purchase holiday gifts for the participants in their programs over the holiday & food to prepare for the holiday.

Giving Tree Locations:

Give to YSS

Donate to YSS to support all our programs that provide hope and opportunity to youth. Give now.