Application

Holiday Hope Application Policy Update – Effective 2026

Beginning in 2026, Holiday Hope will implement new rules for our application process to ensure fairness, efficiency, and timely support for the families we serve.

Holiday Hope opens applications in specific counties throughout the season. This system allows individuals, families, and seniors raising their grandchildren to apply for assistance when their county becomes eligible.

Important: County-Specific Eligibility

When applications open for a particular county, only residents of that county can apply during the designated period. This means:

• If your county is not currently open, you must wait until it is.
• Applying for assistance in a county where you do NOT reside takes valuable time away from our volunteers who process applications.

New Enforcement Rule

If you apply to a county that is open and is accepting applications, and you DO NOT reside in that county:

• Your application will be automatically rejected, and
• Reapplication will NOT be allowed, even when your designated county’s application period begins.

These rules help us protect our volunteers’ time and ensure that support reaches families in the correct areas as efficiently as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to serve our communities with care and fairness.

Holiday Hope carefully reviews every application we receive. Not all applications are approved. To ensure fairness and accuracy, please read the following requirements:

Application Requirements

• All references will be checked. If references cannot be contacted or do not respond within a reasonable time, the application will be rejected. You will not be allowed to reapply with a different reference.
• Every section of the application must be completed.
  • If any part is left blank, the application will be automatically rejected.
• Providing different or inconsistent information in multiple applications will result in rejection.

Approval Notification

If your application is approved, Holiday Hope will send you an official acceptance email confirming that you have been accepted into our program.

Duplicate Assistance Policy

Holiday Hope regularly checks databases to confirm whether applicants are receiving assistance from other agencies. If we find that a family is already being served elsewhere, they will be removed from our program.

This ensures we can support families who are not receiving help from any other agency and who truly have no other resources available.

Holiday Hope works hard to help as many people as possible. Many counties have very limited services, so families often reach out to larger counties for support. By adding new counties to our program—and receiving donations from those same communities—we’re able to serve the families who need help in their own area.

While a county contains many different cities and communities, Holiday Hope will list the county as “open” using the name of the area or city that is eligible to apply. This means:

• When an area is announced as open, only people living in that specific area or city may apply.
• The name posted represents the portion of the county that is currently accepting applications — not the entire county.
• If you DO NOT live in the area or city listed as open, your application will be rejected

This helps protect volunteer time and ensures that families in each community are served fairly and efficiently.

County‑Specific Matching

The Adopt‑A‑Family Program is strictly county, area, and city specific. We never match a family from one county with an adopter in a different county. For example, a family in Marion County will not be matched with a business or group in Clark County. This ensures support stays local, transportation is manageable, and adopters can meaningfully connect with families in their own communities.

Because of the high level of interest each year, Adopt-A-Family is always the first program to fill up. Groups who want to participate are encouraged to sign up early to secure a match in their county.

If you would like your donation to support a specific county and an area within that county, please let us know. We will make sure your contribution goes directly to the families in that area of the county. If you would like your donation to support a specific county and an area within that county, please let us know. We will make sure your contribution goes directly to the families in that area of the county. If you would like your donation to support a specific county and an area within that county, please let us know. We will make sure your contribution goes directly to the families in that area of the county.