By Sherry Tucker
Christmas is filled with many memories for the Tucker Family with one being the birth of the Giving Hope through Faith Foundation and the kick off of the Foundation’s annual “Stockings of Hope” gift card drive. This project was started in memory of Zachary Tucker, who courageously battled brain cancer in 2006 at the age of 8.
“It is hard to believe this will be our ninth Christmas without Zach, but in those nine years, his story has entered many hearts and continues to change lives. We do this drive every year as we pull out Zach’s Christmas stocking. To know his short life continues to help others that are facing cancer has been a great comfort to us,” said Dirk Tucker, director of the Foundation.
There are many ways the community can participate in this project, from making a tax deductible donation at www.givinghopethroughfaith.org to hosting a holiday party at the office or home and encouraging friends to bring a gift card or donation to fill a stocking. A gift of $1,500 funds a family for a year. A gift of $500 funds dinner for 20 families. A gift of $100 funds five boxes of smiles and a gift of $50 funds a night at the movies for one of the families in the program.
The Giving Hope through Faith Foundation provides resources and assistance, including monetary and spiritual support, to those facing the challenges of cancer. Over 450 families have been enrolled in the program since inception. The families receive monthly care packages containing gift cards and messages of hope, once a month for a year. The Foundation is operating on a volunteer basis only with 92 cents of every dollar received going out to the families that are assisted. Families from the Tampa Bay area can apply for assistance online.
To learn more about the foundation or the Stockings of Hope project, visit www.givinghopethroughfaith.org or contact Tucker at 685-6773.
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