Columbia Standard

A Columbia-area family will have a merrier Christmas, thanks to the University of South Carolina's equestrian team who "adopted" them this holiday season.

The Gamecocks equestrian team once again partnered with a local holiday assistance program to help out the working single mother with three children, according to a university news release.

"Basically, it's like being a Santa," sophomore Emma Lane said in the release.

University of South Carolina sophomore and equestrian team member Emma Lane | gamecocksonline.com/news/

The team worked with Families Helping Families in the Midlands, a partnership between the nonprofit Palmetto Project and WIS-News 10 in the Midlands, which assists more than 3,600 area families with food, clothing and Christmas gifts each year. Gifts are gathered at the Families Helping Families warehouse for distribution to families in need.

"Families Helping Families allows you to adopt a family for the holidays and purchase gifts for them," junior Kiersten Beckner said in the release. "Every year, the team adopts a family that is in need, and we all pitch in money and then go buy gifts for them."

The team formed groups and donated their own money to assist their adopted family, Beckner said.

"It was a single mom, and one of the kids was 10 months, and the others were five and 10 years old," she said in the release. "We split the team into four groups and then all went on a different night to shop for each of them. I know we were able to buy everything on their wish-list and at the end we were able to also give them a food gift card to Walmart."

Added Lane: "We bought a bike. The mom needed some pots and pans. We bought a lot of clothes and some Nerf guns and some other toys."

The team also provided the family with a few everyday necessities, such as diapers and cleaning supplies.

The team wrapped the gifts and delivered them before the end of exams week and returning home to spend the holidays with their own families.

"Our team is a family," Lane said in the release. "For us to be a family and give to another family is really important. I'm amazed at how much people donate. It becomes a team-bonding sort of thing."

However, Beckner said that the need remains great.

"At the beginning of the month, I think the folks at Families Helping Families said there were still around 600 families that needed to be adopted and 30 disabled adults," she said. "There is a lot of need."

To donate, adopt or volunteer for Families Helping Families, go to fhfmidlands.org/volunteer/.