Maricopa Post Office adopts a family for Christmas

For the second year in a row the Maricopa Post Office has adopted a family for Christmas, continuing what they hope will be a long-running tradition.

“Last year I mentioned this to my employees, and they all felt it was a great idea,” said Postmaster Christopher Bisdnack. “They even started shopping for this year’s family right after last Christmas.”

Post Office employees began collecting gifts for this Christmas in 2004.

Those gifts have been collected and stored in a room at the Post Office, but most of the gifts were collected earlier this month after the employees found out which family they would be adopting. They have put together quite an assortment of gifts, buying items specifically for each of the children in the family.

The Sun Life Health Clinic referred the family of seven that was adopted this year to the Post Office. The mother and father wanted their five kids to have a nice Christmas, even though they had fallen on hard times.

Bisdnack said he hopes that “this family may be able to help another family in the same situation once they are back on their feet.”

Postmaster Chris Bisdnack prepares a gift to be delivered to the family adopted by the Maricopa Post Office.

Post Office Employees Colleen Jenkins (left) and Lisa Gauld begin wrapping gifts.

Employees spent Thursday afternoon, after their shifts ended, wrapping the gifts and preparing to deliver them to the family on Friday morning. “The employees are very eager to help the local community in any way possible,” stated Bisdnack. “They feel good about making a difference for a family at Christmas.”

The Maricopa Post Office currently has 19 employees, with four more starting just before the New Year. “As the office grows, we may be able to adopt more than one family,” noted Bisdnack. “As long as the employees want to participate, we will continue to do this.”