A Family Gets Involved…
The Madley family got involved with the Bergen County Volunteers All Wrapped Up program and through that program, they were paired with the Hilltop Haven Shelter operated by the Paterson Task Force. There they met Monica, the shelter director, and started to understand some of the challenges facing the shelter staff and families. The Madley family accepted the challenge to take over the Adopt A Family program and thus started the precursor to Families for Families. It was truly a family affair as one evening before the Christmas party the family took shifts all through the night to cook enough baked ziti to feed over 40 families.
Cristyn Madley then tapped into the dynamic Wyckoff, NJ community to expand the holiday Adopt A Family program and received a tremendous response. Year after year, more volunteer families wanted to participate and Cristyn met the demand by working with additional shelters and programs in the area. She also was known to accept gently used furniture and household items to donate to shelter families.
With her house and garage bursting at the seams, Cristyn and her family formalized Families For Families by establishing a board, receiving 501c3 status and establishing annual programming. They are now joined by a dedicated board and volunteers who help in serving many families in nearby areas.