Tuffy’s Tidings moved to a contactless format and gift cards replaced wrapped presents, but the spirit of giving hasn’t changed.
In celebration of the spirit of giving, CSUF is making a challenging holiday season a little brighter this year for some Titan student parents and their families through the Tuffy’s Tidings gift project. The program, which got its start in 2015, is hosted by the CSUF WoMen’s and Adult Reentry Center. Each year, the center partners with university faculty and staff during the holidays to sponsor Titan students in the CalWORKs (Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) program, a public assistance initiative that provides aid and services to eligible California families in need. Students who sign up to participate in Tuffy’s Tidings create a “wish list” of needs and wants for themselves and their family members. These lists often include basics such as clothing, jackets and shoes. The students are then paired anonymously with CSUF employee or department sponsors who have stepped up to adopt the families by gifting them items from their lists. The size of each family, including the students, their spouses/partners and children, can range from a small family of three up to larger families of six or seven. In a typical year, the sponsors drop off the gifts at the center for the students to pick up in time for Christmas. But with COVID-19 restrictions in place, Tuffy’s Tidings has moved to a contactless format, and sponsors are donating electronic gift cards to the students to places such as WalMart, Target and Amazon. In the program’s inaugural year in 2015, there were 16 student families who participated.
