Noel for Neighbors
  • Home
  • About
  • Donate
  • More
    • Home
    • About
    • Donate
Noel for Neighbors
  • Home
  • About
  • Donate

About Us

Group of people holding holiday gifts and wearing festive hats.

Our Board

Our volunteer Board is made up of local community members:

Jennifer Budwig, President

Tracy Van Emmerik, Vice President

Cindy Skavdal, Secretary

Courtney Sousa, Treasurer

Erin Bigham, Member

Boxes filled with Christmas gift bags wrapped in festive paper.

Our history

  

In 2023, a group of friends and neighbors  

came together with the simple goal of delivering a few food baskets and gifts at Christmastime to community members who needed a helping hand. The gratitude and appreciation we received made the experience incredibly meaningful. What we didn’t expect was just how many families were brought to our attention who could have benefited from this kindness. Unfortunately, our resources were limited, and we weren’t able to help as many people as we wished. That experience inspired us to formalize our efforts and find a way to grow.


In 2024, our group became Noel for Neighbors. We connected with members of the Santa’s Sleigh program in Fortuna to learn from their experience and gather ideas that could support a similar effort in Ferndale. We also partnered with Ferndale Rotary, who generously agreed to serve as our fiscal sponsor, allowing us to operate under their 501(c)(3) status. With their support, we reached out to local community foundations and were fortunate to receive grants that helped us get our project off the ground.


In 2025, we officially became a 501(c)(3), established our board, and expanded our reach beyond Ferndale to include Loleta, Rio Dell, and Scotia as well.

Storage shelves filled with food trays and bagged items.

Our mission

  

The Noel for Neighbors program focuses on two main objectives:


1.) Providing holiday meal items and essential items:

We provide a complete holiday food basket to families and seniors/individuals who might otherwise go without. We also supply essential items, which range from toiletry items and socks to other clothing items and blankets, as well as gas cards.


2.) Gifting: We supply holiday gifts of clothing and toys to children, seniors/individuals who may be alone during the holidays, with the intention of spreading the warmth and love of Christmas, fostering a spirit of kindness and unity in our small town.


 99% of all donations go directly to families in need.  

Connect With Us

Noel for Neighbors

PO Box 1093, Ferndale, CA 95536

Copyright © 2026 Noel for Neighbors - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept