Winter Holiday Program 2024 Info

This Year's Program

Note: The program is now closed for the winter 2024 season. If you'd still like to help support our community members though, you can donate to the Venmo and funds will be sent to pay bills directly for families who write in for assistance (heating, electricity, water, etc). Keeping these bills paid is essential as many of these families rent and will lose their housing if they cannot keep up with them.

This year's program is a little different from previous years. We are asking all families who wish for assistance to create online gift registry links with a $20 limit per child so that donors can directly order items to be shipped to their children. This is to ensure that your children get the items that they want and takes away the risk of items getting lost during sorting. If you do not know how to do this, there is a spot on the form you can say so and we will help you set one up (or set one up for you over the phone). 

Submit these links through the form please!

Note: Everyone who signs up starts on the waitlist until we get donors

Rules for Gift Recipients

1. Sign up on form above with one form per child

2. Everyone starts on the waitlist

3. All children this year need to have gift registries to receive shipped gifts as opposed to donated physical gifts this year. Each child needs to either have their own gift registry or you can share one for all your children and specify which items go to each child

   1. If you do not know how to do this, we will call you and help set one up for you

4. Nothing is guaranteed

FAQs

• I don't want donors to have my address

  • Amazon, Walmart, and Etsy registries do not share addresses with donors (we had a volunteer check that on 10/14/2024)

• I don't know how to fill out a registry

  • Write that on the form in the registry link section and a volunteer will get back with you to create one for you

• Does being on the waitlist mean that I won't get any presents? 

  • This year, everyone is starting on the waitlist until we start getting donors. It doesn't mean you won't get presents and we will let you know if that changes later in the season if we get a lot of sign ups. As of 10/15/2024, this is not the case. 

• Does filling this out mean I'll get items from my registry? 

  • Unfortunately no, it means that we will share the items you want with the community to see if people can donate

• Can I request gift cards on my registry? 

  • Sure! 

• Is there a limit to how much I can ask for for each child? 

  • $20 per child

• If I want to request a more expensive item for one child and a cheaper item for another child but they both still add to $40 is that okay? (Like $15 and $25)

  • Sure! We just ask that you make a note of that on your form so we can let donors know

• I really hate Amazon, Walmart, and Etsy are there any other options? 

  • You can make a registry for any store that you want, there are no limitations. We volunteers just know how to make lists in those three so we had them as default options for those who needed assistance making them.

• For my really young children, can my registry be for useful things not toys? (Like pacifiers?)

  • Of course!

• We have a child on the way who won't be born until after December, can we still ask for things for them? 

  • Of course! We actually have an option in the child age section for those still on the way. 

• I'm currently without a permanent address (living in a hotel, sleeping outside or in shelters, between places, etc). Can I participate? 

  • Of course! Just write that on the form and a volunteer will get back with you to make the registry and will coordinate with you to deliver your items when the time comes. 

• What's with the "clothing gender" question, clothes don't have gender. 

  • It's just for sizing since it differs after size 5t kids (plus for styles) but we understand clothes don't inherently have gender. 

Rules for Registry Donors

1. Fill out the form above to select which children you're purchasing gifts from the registry for

2. Purchase the gifts 

   1. If you're purchasing from a Walmart registry, empty your cart before adding people's items so it can input the proper addresses!

3. Yay, you're done!

Rules for Clothing Donors

1. Fill out the form above to select which clothing sizes you're donating and when you're dropping them off

2. Wash the clothes

3. Put the clothes into tied off plastic bag with the sizes clearly written on it. Ideally, this would be a written label taped on firmly with packing tape. 

   1. Please no sticky notes unless they are also firmly taped with packing tape (the best option) - people used plain sticky notes last year and a lot of labels fell off : (

   2. If you choose to write directly on the bag, please make sure it's in permanent marker so it doesn't rub off

4. Drop them off on the specified date and time. If you at any point find that the date or time needs to change, please contact us ASAP so we can update when we send volunteers to pick up donations. 

5. Yay, you're done!