The YWCA of Fort Dodge is inviting members of the community to bring some holiday magic to the families in the residential substance abuse treatment program at the YWCA by “adopting” a family for Christmas.

The YWCA houses women who are going through the facility’s inpatient substance abuse treatment, and many of the women have children with them as well. A few years ago, when staff were looking for ways to provide as normal of a Christmas as possible for these women and their families, they decided to ask the community to “adopt” the families.

Last year, all 32 families staying at the YWCA were adopted and able to open gifts together on Christmas morning, YWCA Executive Director Nici George said.

“Most of our families, they are single families and they have very little support,” George said. “They don’t have money to buy gifts. They may be working, but they don’t have money to buy gifts, so by being adopted, that’s the only way that their kids are going to experience gifts.”

Some of the residents are single women and George is hoping for them to be “adopted” for the holidays as well.

“Recovery is super hard and they deserve something a little special too,” she said.

The residents also enjoy a special Christmas dinner at the YWCA.

Also this year, George is hoping to expand the project and have outpatient treatment clients as well as YWCA staff adopted for Christmas.

“About 95 percent of our staff are made up of single moms who are in recovery,” she said. “They’ve completed treatment and are working to be sober from drugs and alcohol and are just trying to make it through the holidays.”

In all, the YWCA has 50 families, 35 of which are already adopted, George said.

“There’s such an outpouring of community support already,” she said.

Any individual, family, organization or business who would like to adopt one of the YWCA families can email George at nici@ywcafd.org and she will send the resident or family’s Christmas wish list.