'Share Your Holiday' program helps hundreds of Durham families in need: 'Means everything'

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- In Durham, the community is coming together to spread holiday magic to hundreds of families in need.

The 'Share Your Holiday' program, managed by the Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center, is now in its 45th year. Partnering with Durham Social Services, the program gets gift lists from those in need, and then social workers deliver the gifts as the holidays approach.

Adrienne Clark spends every holiday season helping coordinate the program.

"It's been my baby and my passion," she told ABC11. "It means everything. My family keeps saying, 'What do you want?' I said, 'For everyone else to be happy'... it comes once a year, but it's a big thing for everybody."

The program aims to support low-income individuals, the unemployed, children, and seniors. Clark added, "COVID hit hard. People are still recovering from that."

She remembers one year, a mother of four really needed a kitchen table, but felt it was too big of an ask. The sponsor came through anyway.

"To be a parent and not be able to provide for your children at this time of year, or to be a parent, and you can't sit around the table and have dinner and say, 'how was your day?' And 'let's do homework'" Clark said. "It pulls at my heart."

She used to run the program but is back this year as a volunteer. Clark has passed the torch to new leadership -- Bettylenah Njaramba, who already sees the program's magic.

"It's really, really encouraging to know, just kind of like the heart that people have about our community and being able to, like, step in and help out," Njaramba told ABC11.

This year, the 'Share Your Holiday' program said it is delivering gifts to roughly 900 Durham families. This includes everything from socks and hygiene products to toys and bikes.

"This little thing that we do that helps to provide all of these gifts to families, it's just amazing, and our community is amazing," Clark said.

The program still needs volunteers for their distribution center and can always use financial donations. If you want to learn more about how to get involved, click here.