Hope for the Holidays
The holiday season is full of hope and happiness for many. For our residents working through their recovery, healing from a crisis in our shelter, and sending out new job applications, it can feel bleak. We surround guests with compassion, resources, and support to build roads to brighter futures. Help from you goes a long way to making this work possible year-round. During the holidays, your support is even more powerful.
Help everyone at CARITAS feel at home this holiday season. Make a difference with one of these opportunities today.
1: Make ornaments with the shelter or THPW participants
Help the participants create a unique ornament they can hang on the tree now and take home later as a memento of their time with us. Click here to learn more and sign up!
2: Donate to our Holiday Shop.
We will host more than 300 program participants during the holiday season. Help us line up our Holiday Shop! We are looking for men’s pajama sets, sweatshirts, bras, undershirts, small flashlights, 2023 day planners, women’s fleece headbands, and gift cards ($20-25 to Amazon, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, GrubHub, Family Dollar, 7-11). This year’s giveaway will take place on Monday, December 19th. We need all donations by December 15. To contribute items to our participants, register on our online form. Questions? Contact Christopher Lee at clee@caritasva.org.
3: Make Holiday Cheer Bags
Please fill a festive bag with a pair of pajamas, socks, and a pair of underwear (panties for ladies, boxers for men). Select from the available sizes below and let us know the quantity and sizes you plan to contribute. Old Navy and Kohl’s are good resources for bulk orders. We will adjust quantities as sign ups come in. Please register to donate items here.
4: Help us Organize and Operate our Holiday Shop!
On one of the most joyful days of the year, more than 300 CARITAS participants will receive holiday gifts donated by the community. Help them try on coats and shoes, wrap gifts for their families, and warm up with some hot cocoa while they wait. Organize and decorate on December 15, join us for the shop on December 19, or help us clean up on December 20. Click here to learn more and register.
5: Donate In Honor of a Loved One
Meaningful gifts are hard to come by. A financial contribution to CARITAS can save a life, help someone get hired, or lead them on a journey to sobriety. Donate a gift of $10 or $1,000. List their name and mailing address in the online donation form. We’ll send a note to let them know you donated. You can also print your donation receipt and put it in your holiday card. Donate online here.
6: Give Smart: Donate Stock
Stock gifts are as valuable as other financial gifts to CARITAS. The benefit is that you avoid the capital gains tax on the increase in value. Easily transfer stock with the help of our contacts at Davenport & Co. You may choose to donate to one of two accounts: one for CARITAS as a whole and another specific to The Healing Place. Click here to find all of the information you need to donate stock to CARITAS.
7: Holiday Hugs for the CARITAS Staff
Donate $20-$25 gift cards from Lowe’s, Walmart, Kroger, Target, or Amazon to show appreciation for our staff. These will be distributed throughout 2023 at staff trainings and appreciation events. Please let us know if you intend to donate cards and the quantity below via this link!
Big thanks to the Amazon Warehouse in Chester and the family of Lisa Clemmer for providing the gifts for our Family Gift Workshop this year!