DOWAGIAC — In the next week, Rotarians will be busy shopping for items on a wish list as they adopt a family during this Christmas season.

For the second year in a row, the Dowagiac Rotary Club has adopted a family who lives in the city of Dowagiac, with a mission to help bring them a special Christmas. At the forefront of organizing the Rotary’s participation in adopting a family is Rotarian Cathy Merrill, who updated the club Thursday about what items the family requested.

Merrill worked with the Adopt a Family Project this season by reaching out to Cass County Department of Human Services, which collects applications from families who need assistance during the holidays.

The department sent Merrill a family from Dowagiac with a mother and her two sons. The family has requested items such as shirts, sweatshirts, socks and underwear. Also listed are the sons’ interests, including superheroes, coloring books, crayons and sticker books.

“Whatever can be given is greatly appreciated,” Merrill said.

Merrill, who is also the CEO of Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union, has been participating in the Adopt a Family Project for 12 years now.

“That’s one thing we’ve found over the years,” she said. “These families are very grateful and thankful for what we provide. We’ve had slim years, and we’ve had prosperous years.”

Merrill said the family is asking for modest things such as household goods including, bath towels, twin-size bed sheets, blankets, paper products, cleaning supplies, hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Merrill is pushing for Rotarians to select items off the families wish list rather than making monetary donations.

“It adds a little bit more joy to the process for yourself and the family,” she said. “I know we don’t all get to see the family when they come in and pick up the items, but it’s special.”

Already, Rotarians have several brown bags sitting in the corner of the room waiting to be given to the adopted family.

The collected items will be dropped off at Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union, 437 E. Division St., Dowagiac, by a deadline of Dec. 20. On that day, the family will come to the credit union to pick up the donated items.

“Anything that we can provide to them is just a way for helping them through the holidays,” Merrill said. “In this particular case, the younger they are, the more fun they are to shop for.”

Dowagiac Rotary Club President Melody Wallace encouraged members who really enjoy shopping to shop for the whole club.

Merrill said the group should not worry about coordinating items or buying multiples of some items on the family’s wish list.

“If we’ve get duplicates of things, that’s okay,” she said. “It’s just something you feel you want to be able to contribute and help the family.”