Season for Caring meets $500,000 match. Total now exceeds $1.4 million in cash, donations.

Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman
Rebecca Adamson tests her new bed with children, from left, Leon Adamson, Keiko Watkins and Lucas Watkins. Donations, including beds from Factory Mattress, and a matching donation from the Sheth family have helped raise almost $1.4 million for local nonprofits and their featured Season for Caring families, including the Adamson Watkins family.
Rebecca Adamson tests her new bed with children, from left, Leon Adamson, Keiko Watkins and Lucas Watkins. Donations, including beds from Factory Mattress, and a matching donation from the Sheth family have helped raise almost $1.4 million for local nonprofits and their featured Season for Caring families, including the Adamson Watkins family.

In $10 money orders and checks mailed with love, stock transfers, fund adviser payments and online credit card donations, one by one, each contribution to the Statesman Season for Caring program has added up.

Season for Caring has met the Sheth family's $500,000 match and continues to add to the amount of support the program and its local nonprofit partner organizations will be able to provide to local families throughout the year.

Including the Sheth match, it has raised $1,288,452 in monetary donations and $113,038 in in-kind goods and services so far this season. In monetary donations, the program already has exceeded last year's total by almost $25,000. And this labor of love continues.

Since Season for Caring began in 1999, it has now given local charities $19.8 million in grants and in-kind donations. We have a chance to meet the $20 million mark this year, the 25th year of the program. Our work is not done.

Learn more: 12 families featured in the 25th Season for Caring program. Here's how you can help.

Isaiah Ximenez, 9, and Michael Ximenez, 10, react to Santa's arrival at the Driskill Hotel on Dec. 1. The Ramirez-Ximenez family was able to spend the night in a Driskill suite and light the hotel's Christmas tree during its tree lighting ceremony. People bought ornaments, candles and cookies at the tree lighting to raise $3,117 for Season for Caring.

The giving continues through Jan. 31. Money raised will help hundreds of local families with such basic needs as clothing, housing, groceries, medical care and transportation throughout the year. This year, Season for Caring benefits local nonprofits Any Baby Can, Austin Palliative Care, Breast Cancer Resource Center, Caritas of Austin, Community Action of Central Texas, Family Eldercare, Foundation Communities, Hospice Austin, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Meals on Wheels Central Texas, and Wonders and Worries.

That magic of Season for Caring doesn't happen without the combined efforts of every donor.

Brian and Adria Sheth have been generously giving to Season for Caring since 2015. They've personally given more than $2.2 million to help local families through Season for Caring. Brian Sheth is the founder and chief executive officer of Haveli, a private equity firm based in Austin.

“We try to seize every opportunity to give back to Austin because of all Austin has done for us," the Sheths wrote in an email to launch the 25th Season for Caring this year. "And there is no better time than the holiday season for all of us to give whatever we can to support this amazing community."

Some other big donations have come in recent weeks. Pat Munday gave $350,000, $100,000 more than she had given last year. The widow of Bill Munday, who owned car dealerships in Austin and Houston before his death in 2018. has contributed to Season for Caring for five years straight and has reached $1 million in total donations.

"Giving to this fund brings me great happiness as I know that the donation will be used successfully to make vital impacts in the lives of others," Munday wrote in an email in 2021. "Especially to give during the Christmas season makes Christmas truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it the most."

Kyle Breazeale and Caroline Riley from Ownwell carry gifts up to the apartment of Aaliyah Gaulmon and her 4-year-old daughter Kourti Chambers. Ownwell sponsored the Season for Caring family as part of the company's holiday plans.
Kyle Breazeale and Caroline Riley from Ownwell carry gifts up to the apartment of Aaliyah Gaulmon and her 4-year-old daughter Kourti Chambers. Ownwell sponsored the Season for Caring family as part of the company's holiday plans.

The Linebarger family wrote a check for $25,000. Nyle and Nancy Maxwell gave $20,000. James K. Mitchell gave $15,000. Daniel and Peggy Keelan gave $12,000. Barry and Melinda Twomey gave $10,000. Those join big anonymous gifts of $20,000 and $12,000.

It's not just the big checks. It's the people who waited in line at P. Terry's on Giving Back Day to help raise $41,113 for Season for Caring.

It's the fifth grader who held a virtual cocoa stand to collect $600 worth of gift cards for a family, or the kids who gave up their allowance to buy skateboards and scooters for that family.

It's also the groups who pass the hat at their holiday parties or buy gifts together for one family.

To find out how you can give, go to statesman.com/seasonforcaring, read the stories and donate, or email nvillalpando@statesman.com or call 512-912-5900.

It's been a very merry Christmas. Let's make it a happy new year.

25th Season for Caring
25th Season for Caring

About Season for Caring

The Statesman will be sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families throughout the holiday season. Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to “Statesman Season for Caring.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring program meets Sheth family's $500,000 match

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