All across Queen Anne’s County there are trees decorated with name tags – each bearing the name of a young Queen Anne’s County child whose family needs assistance this holiday season. The Adopt-A-Bear program has been serving needy children since 1991.

Each Adopt-A-Bear card on the tree lists the child’s name, sex, age, clothes and shoe sizes, and a special toy request. Adopt-A-Bear asks that we choose 5 gifts for each child, place all unwrapped gifts in a plastic bag with the card attached and return it to the business or office where you selected the Adopt-A-Bear name tag no later than December 2, 2013.

At the Queen Anne’s County Liberty Building, county employees are picking name tags, and several staff members are joining together to shop as a team to support the request of a single child to make giving more affordable.

The children who participate in this program are selected by schools’ guidance counselors who know the financial circumstances of the families and know that they are truly needy.

The Adopt-A-Bear program is now being run by the Queen Anne’s County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals and serves 1,000 children. Volunteers will wrap the gifts and take them to the child’s school, where the parents can pick them up.

You can also donate a check or just one or two small gifts to be used for Bears who aren’t adopted. Cash donations are used to shop for children whose name tags were not selected. For more information you can go to their website at www.adopt-a-bear.net or call 410-604-0004.

Adopt-A-Bear cards for the children are located at the following businesses and offices: BBT Bank, Centreville; Christ Episcopal Church; Cove Creek Association; Kmart; Bank Annapolis; Food Lions; Elks Lodge Rt. 8; Safeway; Club One; Island Athletic Club; Harris Crab House; Prospect Bay Country Club; Chesapeake College; Babies N Bloom; Day Care Inc.; PNC Bank; Commitment Fitness; Bay Area Association of Realtors; State Farm Insurance Centreville; Maryland Primary Care; QAC Sherriff Office; Gunston Day School; Centreville Family Medicine; Centreville United Methodist Church; MD Extension office; Drs. Billings & Murphy; Washington College; Kent Island Library; Ashley Premier Properties; Split Endz; Inter-Rail Transport; Bay Star Consignment; Centreville Library Tree; Swan Cove Day Spa; The Liberty Building in Centreville.