Five Snohomish County families will have presents under their Christmas trees and items on their wish lists crossed off thanks to Mountlake Terrace recreation staff and families enrolled in the city’s youth programs.

The city adopted families for the holidays for its fifth year as part of the city’s holiday gift-giving project.

Families with children enrolled in the city’s youth recreation activities — such as preschool and kindergarten readiness classes and before- and after-school programs — volunteered to buy presents for each member of the five families.

The project helps families who might otherwise have a less-than-ideal Christmas, said Darlene Cook, a youth programmer and co-coordinator of the project.

Cook said it also teaches children they can help people their age and those who need help locally.

“It’s a good lesson in sharing,” she said.

Two families were adopted through the Everett-based Deaconess Children’s Services. Presents were delivered there earlier this month.

Cook, who has been involved in the project every year, said she still gets the “warm, fuzzy” feeling when they deliver the presents.

“It’s a very good feeling to know there are five families (we helped) who might not have had a good Christmas,” she said.

Deaconess Children’s Services provides child abuse and neglect-prevention programs in Snohomish County. The organization aims to prevent these issues and assist families in becoming self-sufficient. Last year, Deaconess served more than 3,700 children and families, with more than 90 percent of them living in poverty.

Additionally the city’s Recreation Pavilion staff adopted three families. Names of each family member with a Christmas list were on a “tree of giving” that the general public could shop for.

Staff and visitors alike embraced the event, said Jeff Betz, recreation supervisor. Some staff members chipped in to fulfill a large request and bought a young girl a new bike.

Other family members made smaller requests for jeans, sweaters, socks, underwear and store gift cards.

Last year, the city helped six families; adopting five to seven families each year is the norm.

With the recession in mind, Cook said this year the city opted for five families to ensure families received enough presents. “We weren’t sure of the response,” she said.

Betz said the gift-giving project teaches children enrolled in the city’s recreation programs the importance of giving, particularly during the holidays.

“A lot of it is getting youths thinking that this is the giving season,” he said. “It’s not just about what they’re getting.”