Every year, Cindy Wasserman nervously waits to find out if this is the one -- the holiday when her program all falls apart. But somehow the season always delivers, literally.  

For the past 12 years Wasserman, the Students Against Destructive Decisions faculty adviser at Owings Mills High School, has directed a school program that adopts needy families living with HIV.

And for the past 12 years, Wasserman has wondered if enough volunteers would step up to adopt families selected by the Baltimore County Department of Social Services and the Baltimore Pediatric HIV Program.

“I worry every year,” Wasserman said. “You hear of all the programs, whether it’s Disabled American Veterans or The Salvation Army, having trouble to get their programs to stay floating.”

But every year, Wasserman has been pleasantly surprised. By Thanksgiving this year, she had already found volunteers to adopt 57 needy families, who will receive food, clothing, toiletries and presents from their sponsor.

“The students, the staff have embraced it,” Wasserman said. “It’s a life lesson we’re giving to students in regards to charity. It only enhances all of us.

“I keep waiting for the bottom to drop out, for the teachers to say we’re not doing this, but I don’t have to bang on doors.”

The school’s annual “Wrapping Night” is Wednesday, from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. Donated gifts will be wrapped and prepared for delivery to adopted families on Friday. The school has also been conducting a food and clothing drive for the last two weeks.

Wasserman said the program was successful because of the generosity of students, parents and teachers, but also due to help from community businesses.

Race Pace Bicyles in Owings Mills has partnered with the school for the last several years. This year, the bike shop intends to donate between six and nine bicycles to the annual “Adopt A Family” program, said shop manager Sean Fitchett.

“We just clean up and donate a few bicycles that we have,” Fitchett said. “There’s generally a wish list, and depending on what we have and what they’re looking for, we try to get as many to fulfill the requests.”

Fitchett, 29, graduated from Franklin High School in 2000 with one of Wasserman’s sons. As a close family friend, he was happy to help the program.

“It just kind of came up one year, and it seemed like a good idea,” said Fitchett, who estimated the value of the donated bikes to be around $500.

The bikes will be delivered, along with other toys and gently used clothing, by Easy Movers of Glyndon, which have donated two trucks and two drivers, Wasserman said.

“I think the best part of it is that it is a coordinated effort between the students, the staff, the families and the community,” Wasserman said. “It’s the one thing we all do in a coordinated effort. I think that’s the most impressive part, that the whole school comes together.

“There’s a sense of compassion and the solidarity in the whole program.”