It’s the season for caring and sharing and in that spirit, PHP’s Christmas Full-a-Wish Christmas program will be held from Tuesday December 14th through Thursday, December 16th. In its 16th year, PHP operates the Fulfill-A-Wish Christmas Program to provide the area’s most needy families, including 300 children, with holiday gifts, clothing, and toys. In order to avoid duplication, PHP partners with the Marine Corps Reserve’s “Toys for Tots” and is the distribution channel for toys donated and collected in the valley.
To secure toy and gift donations, PHP has placed 60 gift collection boxes in businesses, schools, and government agencies throughout the valley. These gift wrapped boxes display colorful “Christmas Fulfill-A-Wish” and “Toys for Tots” posters and are donation points for the community to assist in the program. PHP is seeking donations of new unwrapped items including toys and games for children 2-12; gift items for teens; infant/toddler, children’s, teen, clothes; and basic house wares including sheets, towels, blankets, coffee pots, dishes and the like.
Families are selected based upon economic need and parents are allowed to select items based upon the size and needs of their family. We try to be as sensitive as possible to the plight of the families we serve and have established the ‘boutique’ concept so that income-qualified parents can select a specified number of gift items, based upon their family’s size, in a festively decorated store-like atmosphere. In this way, we believe that we are empowering parents as much as possible. Volunteers decorate, stock, and operate the boutique under the supervision of PHP staff.
We all know how stressful the holidays can be. But, can you imagine how painful and discouraging it is for a parent who must face their children on Christmas day without gifts and perhaps even without a tree. PHP developed Fulfill-A-Wish to make sure that all families get to share the joy of the season.
Donated items together with items purchased with contributions will be displayed in the holiday ‘boutique” located in space donated by Pacific Capital Bancorp-Santa Barbara Bank & Trust at Valley Station in Buellton on Highway 246. The boutique will be open from 3pm-7pm, December 14th-16th.
To view Christmas volunteer opportunities and/or contact the volunteer coordinator Click Here.
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