Sponsor a Family
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Thank you for your continued support and making a holiday special for a family in need.
As Christmas approaches we are looking for sponsors to help us provide a holiday meal and children’s gifts to over 6,000 people in Niagara Falls.
After you register you will be matched with a family and receive their profile and wish list items for their children. You will shop for that specific family and help them enjoy the magic of the holiday season! After you’ve shopped you will receive a drop off window to bring your gift cards and gifts to St. Andrew’s United Church where your family will later pick up.
Please note: We will contact you with additional details and a family match with Wishlist in November, to allow time for clients to register for support from the program. Also, please check your spam/junk email inbox folder periodically to ensure that you don’t miss your email correspondence containing the family profile and Wishlist!
What is the Christmas Program?
Project SHARE’s Christmas program provides a holiday meal for families and gifts under the tree for children 17 and under, in an effort to make Christmas a special time for every member of our community.
Who does the Christmas Program Help?
The Christmas program helps Niagara Falls families who are living on a low income as determined by Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut Off. Last year, the program helped 5,220 individuals within 2,351 households.
How can I support my neighbours in need?
You can use our registration form below to sign up to Sponsor a Family for Christmas. You can choose to support one or more families of a specific size, depending on your budget. Once you register, you will receive information about the family you are matched with. This will include the names of people in the family, and their Christmas wishlist. We will share information about the ages and interests of the children and any special gift wishes they share.
How much should I spend on the family?
To ensure same size families receive similar values in their Christmas support, we encourage you to follow these recommendations:
Each family will receive both gifts for their children, as well as a grocery gift card for the family.
Children’s Gifts:
- We recommend planning to spend $75 in gifts per family member 17 and under
Grocery Gift Cards:
- 2 person family – $75 grocery gift card
- 3 person family – $100 grocery gift card
- 4 person family – $125 grocery gift card
- 5 person family – $150 grocery gift card
- 6 person family – $175 grocery gift card
- For larger families, increase the value by $25 per family member
Example: to sponsor a family of 4 people (2 adults, 2 children), you should budget $275 ( $150 for the children + $125 for a grocery gift card.)
How will the family I sponsor receive their gift?
We will continue to schedule sponsors to drop gifts off at St. Andrew’s United Church on a given day and families pick up their packages on a pre-determined day.
Groceries, gifts or gift cards?
Receiving grocery gift cards can make a meaningful difference for families, allowing them to purchase items that make their holiday dinner memorable, unique, and special to them.
For children’s gifts, we have a list of suggestions on our website. Some families prefer to choose gifts themselves with gift cards, while some have given suggestions through their family registration.
If you’d like more details to personalize your donation, such as the family’s preferred grocery store or specifics about a child’s gift, we can provide a contact method (phone or email) to help you connect with them directly.
What do I need to know when I drop off my packages?
After you register, you will be matched with a family and receive an email that provides more information about them, what gifts their children would like for Christmas, and a date that we would like you to drop your items off for the family at St. Andrew’s United Church.
When you arrive at St. Andrew’s United Church, please proceed to the donation drop off table with the following:
- Please clearly label boxes/packages with the last name of the family you are sponsoring.
- Please place gift cards in a separate, unsealed envelope with the last name of the family on it. Gift Cards are kept separate so we can ensure they are hand delivered to the family and ensure they are not misplaced or lost.
- Please do not wrap the gifts you may be providing because we would like the parents to see the gifts you are providing to their children before hand.
- If you wish to receive a tax receipt for your support, please include all purchase receipts (originals) and your name and full address. We must have your full address and original receipts to meet requirements set out for tax receipting by the Canada Revenue Agency.
If you are not able to drop off your packages on the dates provided, please be sure to contact Susan at fundraising@projectshare.ca or (905) 357-5121, Ext. 248.