When Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP) introduced their new online digital application process for the Neighbor for Neighbor Coalition earlier this fall, they knew it would make registering for holiday food boxes and Christmas gifts for children a simpler, more efficient process. Now, to meet that higher demand for the holiday services, WCAP is looking to the public for assistance.

Specifically, WCAP needs more volunteers, more donations, and more people willing to “adopt” children and/or families in need of gifts.

“We have seen small but steady increases in demand for these holiday programs for the past several years, but we knew there were even more people who would benefit from the service who were deterred from applying at all due to the previous more cumbersome process. In the past, the applications were all paper,” explained Development Director Monica Pettengill.

The previous process meant people had to request a paper application either from their town office or to be mailed to them, they then needed to complete and return the application by mail or in-person to the WCAP main office in Belfast. Staff would then spend dozens of hours entering all the applications into a database.

“The old process had multiple inefficiencies, and our goal was to make it easier to apply and less expensive to administer,” said Pettengill. “First, sometimes just receiving and returning the application was difficult, particularly for anyone struggling with transportation. Then we received many applications that were missing crucial information, meaning staff would spend many more hours trying to track down information we needed to process the applications, adding to the administrative costs.”

The online digital application Pettengill introduced this year made it so anyone with a phone or laptop could apply for the holiday help in a process that averaged less than 15 minutes to complete. All information that was crucial to process the application were in required fields, which nearly eliminated the issue of missing information. Online applications also eliminate costs associated with data entry. Paper applications were still available for those without the tools or capacity to apply online, but digital applications began pouring in as soon as they were opened in early September.

By the time Neighbor for Neighbor applications had closed for the Thanksgiving requests, there was nearly a 15 percent increase over the same period last year. WCAP expects even more than that by the Christmas deadline on Wednesday, November 27.

“This is truly a great outcome, and exactly what we had hoped for,” said Pettengill. “It does present some new challenges, but we know the Waldo County community will support us in making sure everyone who needs help receives it this holiday season.”

Pettengill says first they will apply any costs savings from the efficiencies they implemented to help cover the direct costs of food boxes and gifts.

“We know each food box costs about $40. That means for every ten additional households applying, we need to cover another $400 per holiday just for the food. We also need to find another ten or so volunteers to help us deliver that food. Then, for the households needing assistance with gifts for children, we are looking for special people who love the joy of giving experience.”

Anyone looking for more information or who is interested in helping to volunteer, making a financial contribution, or purchasing gifts for kids can call the Neighbor for Neighbor phone line at (207) 338-4944, or email N4N@waldocap.org. WCAP is also looking for a volunteer or volunteers willing to answer inquiries in the weeks leading up to deliveries.

Thanksgiving food boxes will be delivered on Saturday, November 23 and Christmas food boxes will be delivered on Saturday, December 21. Gifts for children will be arranged by appointment and anyone who has requested gifts should hear from WCAP staff during the first couple of weeks in December.

About WCAP: Waldo Community Action Partners is a charitable, educational, 501(c)(3) private non-profit organization located in Belfast, Maine. It is designed to utilize and mobilize public and private resources to assist low-income Waldo County residents in the alleviation of poverty and address its underlying causes. For additional information, please visit www.waldocap.org.