The Treehouse Children's Advocacy Center in Montgomery County supports children who are victims of abuse (and usually now in foster care). As the winter holidays get closer, they often have sibling sets or individual children you can "adopt" with specific needs lists. I've personally delivered donations there and can vouch for they're legitimacy. They keep a stash of new pajamas on hand so that each child that comes through the intake process can choose a new pair. Pretty poignant when you think about why a child might find brand new pajamas particularly comforting. On Black Friday, we usually search out the PJ doorbusters at Target/Walmart and buy as many as we can afford to donate.

They also have an Amazon wish list--just looking through that will give you a good idea of what they provide. Their Facebook page is pretty active with information about current needs, too.

http://treehousemd.org/
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/27LHSPMQJNE7Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_ppZlybDZP9R1G

Also, the Homeless Children's Playtime Project in DC supports, you guessed it, homeless children in DC with a safe place to play, and provides therapy and services. Relisha Rudd was a client when she disappeared. I don't know for sure if they do a specific "adopt a kid" holiday giving program, but they do have a wish list on amazon as well.

https://playtimeproject.org/
https://playtimeproject.org/donate/donate-goods.html
https://wishlist.playtimeproject.org/

There’s that USPS Santa program

Families need help all the time. Not just at holidays

Anonymous wrote:There is actually one for veterans or active service people. It’s called Soliders Angels. Really cool thing to support.

Military families in need will request to be chosen. You give a gift card towards their dinner and gifts.

There is actually one for veterans or active service people. It’s called Soliders Angels. Really cool thing to support.

Anonymous wrote:McLean presbyterian sponsors special needs orphans ( or children at-risk of abandonment) in Romania each November. You get a Christmas ornament so you can pray for the child each year. What I love about Romanian Christian Enterprise is that the team takes photos of the children opening the gifts. You get a letter in February or March. I think it’s a great way to teach kids about empathy.

I try not to be too much of a cynic, but....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It can be very expensive - thousands of dollars. I found this out when my friend did it last year and only discovered after getting the lists and requirements from the agency. one of the requirements of the agency was that clothing items on wish lists were expected to be "quality items" and then there were a list of brands and stores and no, Walmart and Target were not on the list. Another one was electronics on wish lists had to come with certain additional accessories even if those accessories did not appear on the wish list.

If budget is a concern to you, make sure to ask questions beforehand on the expectations.

What agency is this? I find it hard to believe this is real. And one can always say no.

Yeah this is definitely fake.

Anonymous wrote:McLean presbyterian sponsors special needs orphans ( or children at-risk of abandonment) in Romania each November. You get a Christmas ornament so you can pray for the child each year. What I love about Romanian Christian Enterprise is that the team takes photos of the children opening the gifts. You get a letter in February or March. I think it’s a great way to teach kids about empathy.

You know what would be more helpful. Adopting these kids or ones hard to place in the US. We have so many US kids with SN lingering in foster care till they are 18 with no family and yet, funny thing, no one wants to do more than a token donation to make themselves feel like they are doing so much. (yes we adopted a SN child). That is not teaching empathy. Empathy is far more.

McLean presbyterian sponsors special needs orphans ( or children at-risk of abandonment) in Romania each November. You get a Christmas ornament so you can pray for the child each year. What I love about Romanian Christian Enterprise is that the team takes photos of the children opening the gifts. You get a letter in February or March. I think it’s a great way to teach kids about empathy.

Gee, if only the google worked

https://ebfsc.org/what-you-can-do/adopt-a-family/

http://www.operationwearehere.com/AdoptMilitaryFamily.html

https://www.stmatthewscathedral.org/outreach/adopt-a-family

https://hruth.org/ways-to-give/adopt-a-family/

Or is there some kind of specific family yiure looking for, OP?

Our office does this for one family every year. Since it's about 50 people contributing they are able to get nice gifts.

Anonymous wrote:It can be very expensive - thousands of dollars. I found this out when my friend did it last year and only discovered after getting the lists and requirements from the agency. one of the requirements of the agency was that clothing items on wish lists were expected to be "quality items" and then there were a list of brands and stores and no, Walmart and Target were not on the list. Another one was electronics on wish lists had to come with certain additional accessories even if those accessories did not appear on the wish list.

If budget is a concern to you, make sure to ask questions beforehand on the expectations.

What agency is this? I find it hard to believe this is real. And one can always say no.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most churches will do this or at least do a giving tree.

Keep in mind, this isnt like a hallmark movie where you stand on the family's doorstep on Thanksgiving (or on Christmas) holding a gigantic basket of household food and essentials patting yourself on the back for doing a good deed.

Your 4 yr old isnt going to have that visual you think she'll have just bc you're collecting a few canned goods.

This seems like a total misread of both the OP and the way these adopt-a-family programs work.

Most people donate to make themselves feel good. Most of the folks who need, need all year round and need the least at the holidays as others only do then. Kids need back to school clothing and new in the spring, etc. They need food, furniture and other things all year.

Our church does monthly collections for these like this, and I'd venture to say the majority of them do. Feel free to call and ask OP! We do September backpacks and school supplies, undies and socks in October, etc.

The city of Alexandria is seeking volunteers to sponsor families, needy senior citizens, disabled people, and/or foster children for the holidays; my family sponsors a family through this program every year (and it would not cost thousands):

https://www.alexandriava.gov/TheFundForAlexChild#HolidaySharing2019

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It can be very expensive - thousands of dollars. I found this out when my friend did it last year and only discovered after getting the lists and requirements from the agency. one of the requirements of the agency was that clothing items on wish lists were expected to be "quality items" and then there were a list of brands and stores and no, Walmart and Target were not on the list. Another one was electronics on wish lists had to come with certain additional accessories even if those accessories did not appear on the wish list.

If budget is a concern to you, make sure to ask questions beforehand on the expectations.

That sounds like a story Trump voters tell each other. Name the "agency".

Yeah, I’ve never heard this, either. I’ve volunteered for some of these events in the past and helped get everything organized by sizes /ages , putting in bags, etc. Beyond some nicer toys for toddlers/preschoolers , I’ve never really seen “quality items” at any of these events. I’m glad the families are getting some items they need but sometimes there’s just a thin cropped style sweatshirt(really only fashionable and not keeping a kid warm) when it has asked for a winter coat. Sometimes I feel bad putting together these bags even though , I’ve purchased as much as I can myself. I’ve never put together anything that didn’t come from Walmart or Dollar Tree, rarely some Target items.