Learn how to help children in need at Christmas with these ideas for donating toys and more.
This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details.
Christmas is a time for joy and giving, but for many children, it is also a time of crisis. Economic uncertainty, housing or food insecurity, and other issues do not take a holiday in December. In fact, they can often become worse.
For those of us who are not dealing with these hardships, Christmas is a wonderful time to remember to help children in need. Our Family Dinner Book Club is focused on helping children in crisis, and here are 6 ways that your family can help children in need at Christmas.
How to Help Children in Need at Christmas
Start Local
No matter where you live, there are children in need right in your community. You can make a great impact right in your backyard.
To find out ways to help locally, begin by contacting your child's school. Start with the counseling office, or your school's community liaison if you have one. They will be able to point you in the right direction to find out what is needed and how to help.
If your school does not have a snack or food pantry, this is a great time to work on creating one. Click here to see how to get started.
You can also contact your local food bank or churches in your area to find out what is needed in your community and how you can help.
Donate to Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is one of the oldest and largest toy donation programs in the country. Run by the US Marine Corps, Toys for Tots has donated nearly 600 million toys to children in need since 1947.
Toys for Tots accepts new, unwrapped toys and drop off locations throughout the country. Click here to learn more or to find a location near you.
USPS Operation Santa
Operation Santa is a program of the United States Postal Service and it allows families and groups to answer letters to Santa from children in need. The postal service has answered these letters for over 100 years!
Operation Santa is a wonderful way to help children in need from all around the country. Click here to learn more, read letters, and adopt a child this year.
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child is a program run by Samaritan's Purse. Their goal is to ship shoeboxes filled with small toys and hygiene items to children affected by war, famine, natural disaster and disease around the world. They have shipped over 160 million shoeboxes since 1993.
Click here to find out how to pack and send a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child.
Angel Tree
Nearly 3 million children in the United States have a parent in prison. Prison Fellowship helps these children during the holidays with its Angel Tree program.
Click here to learn more about the Angel Tree program and how to help.
Soldiers' Angels
Soldiers' Angels is an organization committed to supporting soldiers and veterans all year long, and they have an Adopt-A-Family program during the holiday season. The Adopt-A-Family program helps to provide gifts and grocery gift cards to military families in need.
Click here to learn how to adopt a family through Soldiers' Angels.
Family Dinner Book Club
Get the entire Family Dinner Book Club experience: visit Growing Book by Book for this month's list of books about kids in crisis then head to Chef Sarah Elizabeth for your themed dinner menu.
Be sure to share your Family Dinner Book club photos with us on Facebook! We love to see them.
Love this? Pin it here!
