Christmas Program FAQ

Christmas Program FAQ

BEFORE YOU BEGIN …

DO YOU LIVE IN THE CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS?
Project SHARE provides supports and services including the annual Christmas Program to residents of the City of Niagara Falls. If you reside in another community within the Niagara Region or elsewhere in Canada and the United States, please call 2-1-1 which can provide contact information for an agency within your community. This service is available all across Canada or the US and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in numerous languages.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO PROJECT SHARE AND PROVIDED IDENTIFICATION, ADDRESS AND INCOME VERIFICIATION FOR ALL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS WITHIN THE LAST 6 MONTHS?
If you HAVE, we can quickly approve your online registration. An email will be sent to you once your registration has been processed. We will inform you of your pick up date, time and location.
If you HAVE NOT, we will be sending you an email or calling you to let you know that we need more information.

HAS YOUR HOUSEHOLD CHANGED SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE AT PROJECT SHARE?
If you have recently added a permanent member to your household (for example: new baby, spouse, common law partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent you are caring for, an adult child has moved back home and is financially dependent on you, a recent temporary or permanent custody agreement) we will need you to provide the required Identification, Verification of Address and Verification of Income information for the new household member(s).  This can be provided in person to Intake staff during your next visit to Project SHARE for food or other supports.

If your household size has decreased (for example: a family member has moved out or has passed away), please advise of this so that we can update you client services file. This can be provided in person to Intake staff during your next visit to Project SHARE for food or other supports.

WHAT WILL I RECEIVE THROUGH PROJECT SHARE”S CHIRSTAMS PROGRAM?

A grocery gift card will be provided for each family to purchase their own holiday meal. This starts at $50 for the first person in the family and increased by an additional $25/person (i.e. families of two receive $75, families of four receive $125 etc). Gifts are provided for children ages 17 and under.

WILL I GET TO PICK OUT MY OWN GIFTS FOR MY CHILDREN?

Our Christmas program has two components; sponsors sign up to “adopt” a specific family and shop from their wish list, and those not assigned a sponsor will pick our children’s gifts from the donations of gifts collected by our Stuff the Bus campaign and community toy drives. Both programs rely on donors and community donations, and while the wishlist provides a guideline we can’t guarantee specific items will be received.

I HAVE SHARED CUSTODY OF MY CHILD/CHILDREN. CAN BOTH PARENTS REGISTER?

We encourage both parents to register for Christmas Program assistance if they qualify as a resident of Niagara Falls under the low income cut off.

PLEASE NOTE!
Once you have successfully submitted your online registration, a popup message will appear indicating that your submission has been accepted. Please be aware that processing the many online registrations takes time and the dedicated efforts of limited staff and many volunteers. As a result, it may take several days to process your registration once you have submitted. Kindly allow us 5 business days before calling Project SHARE to see if your application was received. 

If you need further information, please contact: Hannah @ 905-357-5121 ext 242 or via email at xmasprogram@projectshare.ca. Again, due to limited staffing, please send only 1 email/leave only 1 phone message and Hannah or Fran will reply to your email/return your call as quickly as possible.

Definitions of commonly used terms:

HOUSEHOLD – all persons in your family that permanently reside at the same address
* includes only those people (including children or adults that are in your care) that are part of your household/family
* does not include independent adults over the age of 20 that may reside with you but that have their own income source
* does not include tenants or persons sharing accommodations with you but that you do not have a relationship with you

IDENTIFICATION – a document showing your name and date of birth
* can include any of the following: birth certificate, Ontario Health card, driver’s license, Ontario Identification card, passport or immigration documents

VERIFICATION OF ADDRESS – a document showing name and address on it for all household members
* can include any of the following: driver’s license, current bank statement, OW or ODSP statement, a current utility bill, a lease agreement
* NOTE: please show full page of statements providing date and other details, not just address portion; please show address, tenant name(s), date and signature portions of lease agreement

VERIFICATION OF INCOME – a document indicating income
* can include any of the following: driver’s license, current bank statement, OW or ODSP statement, a current utility bill, a lease agreement
* NOTE: please show full page of statements providing date and other details, not just address portion; please show address, tenant name(s), date and signature portions of lease agreement

PARTNER – spouse, common-law partner, boyfriend or girlfriend living in the same household

CHILD – any member of the household aged 17 and younger

HOUSEHOLD SIZE – all permanent members of your household/family that reside at the same address. Include dependant adult children or parents that do not have their own source of income. Examples –
* 1 adult parent, his/her boyfriend that lives in the same house, 2 children aged 18 and 20 living at home and not working plus 2 children aged 10 and 12 = a household of 6 persons
*  1 parent, 1 dependant adult child with special needs in his/her care and child aged 16 = a household of 3 persons
*  2 grandparents with permanent care or official (court ordered or designated through FACS) temporary care of 2 grandchildren = a household of 4 persons