White Doves Holiday Project

A major project of Martin Volunteers each year is the White Doves Holiday Project. In 2008, White Doves conducted its 20th year of bringing smiles, toys and food to thousands of people.

About White Doves

Families are referred to White Doves by social service agencies, schools and faith-based groups. They receive the staples for a holiday meal and toys for their children.

TOYS FOR TOTS: White Doves is sanctioned as the local coordinating organization for the collection of Toys for Tots in Martin County. Thanks go to the dozens of businesses serve as collection points and the thousands of people who donate toys. In 2008, the sites collected 17,000 toys and an average of five toys were given to each of the 3,141 children served through 44 agencies.

TOM AND LISA HALEY: The Haleys have been involved in White Doves for many years, helping to distribute turkeys, hams and toys. They have been the co-chairs of the White Doves Holiday Project since 2005. Tom is the owner of Buy the Hour Builders, and Lisa owns Body Sculpting of South Florida.

GEORGE PHILLIPS: George Phillips, another veteran White Doves volunteer has been the White Doves warehouse manager since 2005. Throughout November and December, George spends long hours at the warehouse, organizing goods and volunteers, handling deliveries and other logistics.

ADOPTERS: More than 100 individuals, families or groups adopt at least one White Doves family each year. This includes several groups from local high schools. Also, the community of Harbour Ridge adopts all the families of Hope Rural School in Indiantown.

HOW IT WORKS

The White Doves Holiday Project is hard at work long before the holiday season, assembling the list of families to be served and arranging the logistics of collecting, sorting and distributing food and gifts.

More than 80 agencies, schools and churches identify families who need help at holiday time. 

Once the families are referred, they are matched with individuals, groups and organizations willing to “adopt” the family and provide for them. Those that are not adopted receive food and toys from either the Indiantown or the Stuart location. On distribution days, volunteers help families “shop” for free for toys to give their children, ages 0-15. Families also receive a bag of groceries containing the staples for a holiday meal and other items.

HISTORY

The White Doves Holiday Project began in 1988, with 838 families served. In 1993, after Hurricane Andrew, the number of families served reached an all-time high of 1,600. In recent years, White Doves has averaged about 1,200 families annually.

In 2008: White Doves served 1,379 families with 3,091 children at the two warehouses in Stuart and Indiantown, plus an addition 77 adopted families. This was a remarkable year for donations too, with close to $70,000 being raised.

VOLUNTEERS: There were 139 volunteers ranging from senior citizens, to families and six groups with an average of 15 members, such as the Jensen Beach High School football team, the Jeepers, the Boys Scouts, the Indian River State College baseball team, the Jensen Beach ROTC team, the Martin County Sheriff’s Explorer’s and the Church of the Latter Day Saints from Clewiston all donated more than 3,000 hours. Volunteer included roles range from sorting toys and food, decorating the warehouse, organizing deliveries, helping clients and entering data.

SCOUTING FOR FOOD: The White Doves Project started in November with the Scouting for Food food drive collecting 12,867 pounds with other residents collecting an additional 4,500 pounds, followed by Family Volunteering Day.

During the week of Family Volunteering Day, students at Pine School, along with Tom Weiksnar and friends, decorated nearly 3,000 brown lunch bags used as stocking stuffers for the children - a new initiative in 2008.  Tom, his fellow workers and their families also spent a full day decorating several trees later given to deserving families.

• Destiny, 11, and Jade, 10, Neumann, of Stuart, donated 37 of their handmade Build-A-Bear Workshop teddy bears to less fortunate children. Read More >>

• 2008 also brought new donors with Lauri Goldstein and her contacts donating $12,500 for the purchase of hams and turkeys, along with Milam's Market, to name a few; as well as continual supporters for many years like Linda Braswell and the residents of Loblolly and Evergreen was able to raise more than $2,000.

2007: 1,239 families with 2,975 children. Read more >>

2006: 1,206 families with 3,087 children. Read more >>

2005: 1,318 families with 3,196 children. Read more >>

2004: 1,295 families served, including 2,799 children.
See Channel 2 report from December 2004 >>
(video file in .wmv format)

2003: 1,190 families served, including 2,475 children

For more information about White Doves,
contact assistant coordinator Anne Lalley at (772) 220-4472, ext. 232 or alalley@martinvolunteers.org