What it means to "Shop" at Christmas for All

At Christmas for All, we help families who are having a hard time this holiday season. They might have to choose between rent and food or gifts for their kids. We help them reduce some of their stress during the holidays by providing toys to their children who are 0-13 years old.

First the parents or legal guardians submit a wish list for their child(ren). They tell us the child's name, age, gender, and what they are interested in. We do not give out clothes or food because we want them to have something fun for Christmas. Then we have people come in to put together bags (shopping) based on the child's wish list. We set a retail amount, so the bags are similar in value. We have primary shoppers who help volunteers with the process, so no one is doing this blind.

How do we get our toys? Generous people donate toys and money throughout the year. We have a primary buyer who finds deals, and can usually get toys at 50-75% off. Our primary buyer knows how to stretch a dollar. We then set up the toys on tables organized by categories. That makes it easier for shoppers to find a specific item.

After the toys are gathered, the primary shopper puts a label on a bag, puts the toys in a bag, and then puts the bag on a grid. Our grids are setup so it is one family per grid. That allows our distro people to easily find the families toys when they arrive for pick up.