Sponsor a Family Living in the GTA
Our goal is to sponsor 950 families in the Greater Toronto Area.
Sign up now and become one of our early-bird sponsors and get a jump on Christmas.
How it Works
SIZE OF FAMILY
Determine the size of family you would like to sponsor.
- This will depend on your budget and how many people are in your group
- We recommend planning to spend a minimum of $200 per family member, plus $150 for a grocery gift card
- Example: to sponsor a family of 2 people, you should budget $550 ($200 for the parent + $200 for the child + $150 for a grocery gift card.)
SIGN UP
When you have an idea of the family size, scroll to the bottom of this page, fill in the form.
- You will be added to a waitlist. Wishlists will be sent out in order of signing up, but are usually not ready until October.
- Wishlists take time to complete and will be sent as soon as possible (usually in October/November)
WISHLIST
Once a list is available, Holiday Helpers will email you a wish list for an actual family. The list will included their first name, gender, age, clothing/household/toy requests.
SHOPPING
Now it's time for the fun part! We recommend shopping at similar stores as the family would, like Old Navy and Walmart. Be sure to get a gift receipt and keep the tags on. No used items.
DROP-OFF
You will be expected to drop off the presents at the designated centre by the deadline in early December. More details on the location and date to come.
- Once the items are dropped off, they are sorted, checked for safety, and packaged for delivery.
DELIVERY
The package will be delivered or picked up by the family before Christmas.
THANK YOU
We do ask all the families to provide a thank-you letter telling us about their Christmas experience. Those letters will be forwarded to you in January to March.
GTA WAREHOUSE LOCATIONS
Santa's Warehouse - Main Location
189 Rathburn Road, West, Mississauga
It is the old Chapters, near SquareOne and the bus terminal, next to the Starbucks.
East-End Drop-Off
Parkway Mall - 85 Ellesmere Road, Scarborough, M1R 4B8. The drop-off location is in the FORMER Toronto Library location.
Use the alleyway to drive around to the back of the mall and look for the red Holiday Helpers flags. Do not go into the mall.
PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT able to provide a tax receipts for gifts given to the family.
PLEASE NOTE: It may take a few days to a few weeks to send you a wishlist that matches your request. We will send a list as soon as it becomes available.
Our packages bring Christmas joy, but they also offer poverty-relief items like winter snow suits, warm hats & mitts, household items (i.e. warm blankets, small appliances) and a grocery gift card that can be put towards a warm meal.
Questions about sponsoring a family?
Contact us at info@holidayhelpers.org
Families in the GTA are referred to us from some of the following agrencies:
