Human Services
Arlington Secret Santa Time – We Need Your Help!
- You can make the holidays special for Arlington kids in foster care, people with disabilities, low-income seniors and low-income families by donating to Arlington’s Secret Santa Program.
- It is a fantastic way to help some of Arlington’s most vulnerable residents.
How it works
You donate gift cards from area stores — grocery store, drugstore, Target, shopping mall or credit card-type gift cards are perfect. Gifts cards should not exceed $25 each, but you can submit as many as you like. Donations are generally tax deductible.
- The Department of Human Services distributes the cards to more than 1,000 needy individuals in the community during the holiday season.
- Every cent goes straight to the recipient.
- It is a great giving opportunity for individuals, church groups, schools and neighborhoods.
- Making it a group effort is a fun and meaningful holiday project for kids, families, apartment buildings, sports teams and offices.
Who it helps
Children in Foster Care: Arlington has nearly 100 children in foster care. Your contribution of a gift card will help bring a happy holiday to these deserving kids. Most kids in foster care are teens, and it is nearly impossible to get the right gift for a teenager – so gift cards are a great option.
People with Disabilities and Seniors with Low Incomes: Making ends meet can be difficult when you are without family and on a fixed income. That’s the case for many older Arlingtonians and members of the community who have disabilities. Our aging and disability services specialists report that gift cards distributed through the Secret Santa program never fail to bring smiles to these vulnerable members of the community.
Families with Low Incomes: For families struggling to put food on the table, having the money to purchase even modest holiday gifts is difficult. More than 4,600 households in Arlington receive food stamps right now which, for a family of four means they make less than $29,976 a year. For low-income households, gift cards from local grocery stores are a big help – and helping a parent buy a special gift for his or her child is priceless.
Why gift cards instead of donating presents or “adopting” a family?
Arlington Secret Santa uses a gift card model for several reasons:
- Gift cards offer choices, which empowers the recipient. You can select the food you want, the style, color and size of clothes you want, or the perfect toy for your child.
- The kindness of others is wonderful. But for many, receiving holiday presents from strangers can feel patronizing or demeaning.
- In a low-income family, a child seeing that a gift comes from a parent strengthens family bonds.