My young bride is a school teacher. Before every Christmas, the teachers' union conducts a statewide program where (typically elementary) teachers submit names of needy students in their classes, together with an information sheet with sizes, favorite colors, favorite toys, etc. Virtually all teachers in the state then pick a child or children for whom to buy Christmas presents. While you can choose to shop for only one child, they encourage teachers to pick a whole family together, so that the siblings will receive roughly equal treatment. For over 20 years, we have shopped for 3-5 kids in a family. We usually buy them each a winter coat, a sweater or hoodie, pants and a shirt, a book and a toy or piece of sporting equipment (ball, glove, etc). Sometimes we've bought blankets when they were requested.
My church also has White Gift Sunday, which uses a giving tree like those described above. We work with the local DCF office to identify the needy families.
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Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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