Apply for Assistance

Pre-Applications for Christmas 2023 opened Nov 16, 2023 at 12:01 am.

They will CLOSE on DEC 9, 2023. DO NOT WAIT TO APPLY.

The sooner you apply - the better your chances of getting help this year.

How to apply to have your family sponsored / assisted by Project Christmas this holiday:

Fill out a Pre-Application. The pre-application just tells us if your family meets our basic requirements. It only takes two minutes to fill out.
You'll receive an email from us. If your family meets our basic requirements, you must then fill out a FULL LENGTH APPLICATION.

The full length application is detailed and will take about 45 minutes to complete. It is NECESSARY for us to have this info in order to

determine how we can help your family and what your family's needs are - it includes all of your contact information, you family member's clothing sizes, your

kids wish lists, etc. Every year nearly HALF the qualified families who apply - never bother to fill out the full application, and therefor, don't end up

receiving help - so PLEASE - once you've applied - CHECK YOUR EMAIL! (Mail from us comes from [email protected])
Check here to see if your family is sponsored or has been placed on our Wait List: HERE on the Application Status Page.

Full Applications start going out via email on Nov 18th, 2023.

We began approval / sponsorship notifications on November 25th, 2023.

*Please be PATIENT: I know it's hard but application processing takes us a LOT of TIME.

The more complete and accurate your application is - the more quickly we can get your family processed & approved.

All contact in 2022 will require 100% compliance with social distancing. If you do not comply, there will be no second chances. Our family's health is not yours to risk.

If you do not take Covid-19 precautions seriously - DO NOT APPLY.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

If your family has endured financial hardship over the last 12-24 months that is making providing for your kid's Christmas

gifts difficult or impossible - we do our best to be here to help. We often help families who have dealt with serious and chronic illness, disabilities (new or ongoing, which affect a parent's ability to work and support their family), families who have dealt with domestic violence or homelessness, families dealing with the affects of substance abuse disorder, families who have one or more parents that have recently become unemployed and more. Project Christmas is not able to assist families with housing, utilities payments or other emergency necessities - we provide families with coats & winter clothing, cleaning products and toiletries, Christmas décor, gift wrap, and, for our sponsored families - all of your children's Christmas gifts.
Your family must be located in South Jersey or nearby (We will take a limited number of applications from the Philadelphia area or some PA-adjacent towns, as long as the applicant has reliable transportation to/from our donation processing center, to pick up donations on Dec 20-23rd.)
Your family MUST have at least one child under age 9. OR have at least one child under age 22 living in your home who has significant developmental delays or a profound physical disability.

We are able to assist SIGNIFICANTLY more families with younger children because of the donations we receive and the items those children want/need. If most or all of your children are under age 9, please apply ASAP!
Your family MUST have a way to pick up your family's items on your assigned date (if selected) which will be between Dec

20 - Dec 23rd. The pick-up location will be in Berlin, NJ.
To receive priority processing: Your entire family MUST be CURRENTLY up-to-date and vaccinated against Covid-19.

As many of our volunteers are immunocompromised, we decided that we would make this a pre-requisite for application because we want to serve families who are helping to END the pandemic. It costs nothing to keep your fellow neighbor safe from this serious illness. Please get Vaccinated / Boosted. to protect yourself and your neighbors.
To be Sponsored: Your family must not have been previously sponsored by Project Christmas for the last five seasons.

To make room for more families needing our help - Families previously sponsored Christmas 2018 - 2022 are not eligible for further assistance this year.

We take into account multiple factors:

First & Foremost- The type & number of donations we receive dictates the total number families we can help. We accept families one by one, based on our ability to cover their needs & requests.

We Accept Families Based On;

The number & age of your children. (We are more able to help families with younger kids).
What your family is requesting and our ability to provide those things. (If your requests are outside our capabilities/budget, we will not accept your family.)
The reasons for your need. (so please articulate on the application, those with compelling circumstances such as: house fires, a death in the family, disability or illness, etc. etc. take priority.)
Whether or not you have applied for / received help from us in the past. (We make every attempt to prioritize families who were on our waiting list previously.)
Your ability to comply with the rules & the quality & speed of your communication with us. (Those who answer / reply to our requests quickly and clearly will no doubt receive better assistance.)
All contact in 2020 will require 100% compliance with proper mask-wearing and social distancing. If you do not comply, there will be no second chances. Our family's health is not yours to risk -
In 2021, we will be prioritizing families based on their Vaccination Status. Our reasoning is this: If you are willing to help our community by being vaccinated- than we are willing to help you in return. Vaccination is a selfless act that benefits the entire community we live in - that choice protects the vulnerable members of our community. So please - get the jab.
Starting with Christmas 2022: - we will ONLY accept applications from families whose family members are VACCINATED against Covid-19. The ONLY exception to this is anyone who has a LEGITIMATE MEDICAL exemption (as in - if you are currently undergoing treatment for cancer, or another similar condition, by which you are unable to safely receive a vaccine - in which case, we will accept a letter from your doctor stating that you are unable to receive the vaccine for medical reasons. We do NOT accept religious exemptions or ANY OTHER explanation. Helping those in need to ensure that their children have a happy Christmas is a selfless thing - and so is keeping everyone in our community safe from a deadly virus. We do not believe that it is fair to those who are doing what they can to keep our community safe - to encourage people to continue risking the lives of others, but sponsoring families who are actively choosing to put others at risk by remaining unvaccinated.

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PLEASE send any QUESTIONS about Project Christmas
(with the SUBJECT "PROJECT CHRISTMAS" so your message isn't missed) - to [email protected]

PRIVACY INFORMATION ABOUT APPLYING:

All information is kept confidential.
 We do not advertise the names of the families who are requesting or receiving help because we believe that DIGNITY is crucial.
Some recipients may choose to share photos, or make a thank-you message public. This is done by choice - we do not require any kind of public recognition. (While we love to hear from the families about how we've been able to help them - we would never want anyone to share identifying information that might embarrass them or their children.)

Please Remember: Being in need, or receiving help, should never be a source of embarrassment!

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We ALL need help at times in our lives: We are giving families a HAND UP- not a hand-out.

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After Reading Above:

APPLY NOW

How do we select how many families we can sponsor and/or who is on our waitlist and how much help those on the wait list can receive?

We do our best to help as many families as possible, while not overlapping too many kids who are close in age and the same gender, that way we can make the most of all donations.

We cannot guarantee any one family will be accepted.
We cannot discuss the exact reasons for our decisions on who is selected; the process is fair and non discriminatory, our reasons are explained above.
Fairness is EXTREMELY important to us- No decisions are ever made based on factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc. We DO assist families who do not celebrate Christmas (IE. families who celebrate other winter holidays).
We reserve the right to choose families based on our ability to help & a multitude of other considerations.
We will always help as many families as the collected donations & amount of time will permit us to.

What does NOT affect our decision on what families we accept?

Your race, religion, gender identity, disabilities, sexual preferences, unconventional family makeup, etc. etc. (We are an equal opportunity fundraiser & we believe in being good to ALL who need us. We are LGBTQ+ allies & avid supporters of equal rights for all- PERIOD.)
Your past doesn't matter- as long as you are honest. We are here to help children have a safe & happy holiday. Your prior criminal history, addiction, etc is not our concern- HOWEVER - We do expect honesty. Recovery matters & we support those making a real effort to better their lives.
Your previous finances. All that matters is what you need NOW. We realize that its 2022- and even those who are REALLY struggling may own a 10 year old BMW or last year's iPhone because your situation wasn't always what it is now & that your situation / support may have changed. We don't judge you- we just ask that you are honest on your application.

We have limits due to the nature of the program-

We have ZERO paid staff. Our family also funds 100% of the costs for gas and storage to run the entire program.

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