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Looking to help this holiday season? How you can shop for Indianapolis kids, families in need

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Looking to help this holiday season? How you can shop for Indianapolis kids, families in need

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Are you among the legions of Americans expected to begin their holiday shopping this month? As you make your plans, keep in mind that not everyone may be as fortunate.

Surveys by RetailMeNot, an online service tracking shopping trends and deals, showed about 30% of respondents planned to start their holiday shopping in November, which is seen as the traditional gateway to the shopping season. While shoppers differed on exactly when to begin shopping, the majority agreed that budgetary concerns, both rising prices and how to fit holiday gift-giving into their budget, were among the biggest factors influencing their shopping habits this year. And, some do not have the means to do any holiday shopping at all.

Here are some ways you can help those in the community in need this holiday season.

La Plaza

What to know: La Plaza provides support to Latino youth and families. Staff and volunteers work with the families to create wish lists with the names, ages and gift requests of children and adults in each family in its holiday Adopt-A-Family Program. Sponsors can do the shopping and wrapping and drop off gifts to La Plaza (8902 E. 38th St.) or coordinate to drop off toys directly with the family. Alternatively, sponsors can make a financial contribution and La Plaza staff will shop and wrap gifts. Sponsors should spend at least $50 per family member.

When: Families will be matched with donors before Thanksgiving.

How to get involved: Email Cesar Jones (cesar@laplaza-indy.org) by Nov. 18 to express interest. Please include your name, budget, requested family size and type, if you have a preference (for instance, you can request a single father, single mother, etc.).

Damar Services

What to know: There are multiple volunteer opportunities to help Damar Services, which serves Hoosier children and adults with developmental, behavioral and intellectual disabilities and their families. Volunteers are needed to shop for and wrap gifts for 200 children who call the agency home. If interested, you can join Damar representatives in mid-December at the Camby Meijer, 10509 Heartland Blvd., to go shopping using provided wish lists. All items purchased will be paid for by Damar donors.

When: Multiple slots are available for volunteers who want to shop and wrap on Dec. 10-11. Activities will take place from 3-7:30 p.m. both days.

How to get involved: Sign up to volunteer at bit.ly/3YLPvnA.

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Kids’ Voice of Indiana

What to know: Kids’ Voice of Indiana provides court-appointed advocacy services for Marion County youth affected by the justice or family welfare systems. Last year’s holiday assistance program served more than 750 children and youth, and the agency’s goal for this year is to serve 1,000. There are a few ways to get involved:

  • Sponsor holiday gifts. The agency has collected more than 800 holiday wish lists and is still recruiting potential sponsors to make those requests happen. Each sponsor is asked to provide $100-$200 of support.
  • Host a toy drive. The agency will make extra toys and gifts available for staff and volunteers to “shop” for children whose holiday requests remain unfulfilled. Those interested can host toy drives at places like offices, businesses or houses of worship.
  • Donate. If you’d rather give money than go shopping, you can do so at givebutter.com/kidsvoicein.

When: Sponsors should plan to drop off unwrapped gifts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at the FlexPAC warehouse, 6075 Lakeside Blvd. If hosting a toy drive, coordinate drop-off of gifts by Dec. 13 with the agency.

How to get involved: Sign up to be a sponsor at kidsvoicein.org/holidaysponsor. For more information about hosting a toy drive, email Director of Development Zachary Alexander at zalexander@kidsvoicein.org.

The Salvation Army Angel Tree

What to know: Each year, The Salvation Army connects donors with “angels,” or children in need, to ensure they get personalized gifts for the holidays. Sponsors will be able to see a child’s wish list, which includes toys, socks and underwear. Shoppers should expect to spend a minimum of $100 on gifts.

When: Unwrapped gifts must be dropped off by Dec. 6 at one of the following locations Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Eagle Creek Corps & Community Center at 4400 High School Road
  • The Salvation Army Indiana Headquarters at 6060 Castleway West Drive

How to get involved: Go to bit.ly/4hEYgIv to start the process of selecting your angels. To learn more about how to sponsor a child, shop or donate, visit sacentralindiana.org/angeltree.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis

What to know: Last Hanukkah, the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis’ Adopt-a-Family program served more than 300 Hoosiers, including 175 children and teens. There are two ways to get involved:

Interested sponsors can sign up to adopt a family or individual online and drop off or ship gifts directly to Jewish Family Services (6905 Hoover Road) weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Volunteers can join JFS and JFGI in wrapping gifts at Community Day, 1-3 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Jewish Community Center’s Laikin Auditorium (6701 Hoover Road).

When: Gifts should be received by JFS by Dec. 13. However, because there may be unfulfilled family wish lists by the time the holiday starts on Dec. 25, there may be opportunities to get involved even after the suggested deadline.

How to get involved: Register for Adopt-A-Family or as a Community Day volunteer at jewishindianapolis.org/adoptafamily. Contact Rachel Katz at rkatz@jfgi.org with any questions.

The Villages of Indiana

What to know: The Villages is one of Indiana’s largest nonprofit child services agencies, with offices around the state serving more than 3,000 children and youth a day. There are a few ways you can help:

  • Purchase items from the agency’s Amazon Holiday Wish List (amzn.to/4hAPSd9) and ship them directly to The Villages. Items purchased from the wish list will be distributed to Villages offices around the state.
  • Host a holiday gift drive at your business, office, school, club or house of worship. See the Holiday Wish List (bit.ly/3NYy91K) for more.
  • Sponsor a family via the agency’s Family Connection Network, which supports kinship caregivers such as siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles raising their young family members. Families vary from two to eight members, and the suggested donation is $100 per family member. All gifts must be new and unwrapped, and the agency asks that these gifts not be purchased from dollar stores. Fill out a sponsorship form at villageskids.org/spiritofgiving to get started.

When: Gifts must be delivered to your nearest Villages office by Dec. 9. The mailing address for the Indianapolis office is 3833 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208. To find the office nearest you, visit villageskids.org/contact-us.

How to get involved: To learn more about each of the giving options and to get involved, visit villageskids.org/spiritofgiving.

The Damien Center

What to know: The Damien Center is the state’s oldest and largest AIDS service organization, serving Hoosiers and families affected by HIV. About 150 clients at the center have requested assistance with meals or gifts this holiday season. There are two ways to get involved:

  • Donate $50 to sponsor food assistance or gifts for one individual.
  • Adopt a family and go shopping. Sponsors will be matched with a client family and receive a wish list from which to shop. The agency suggests spending around $50 per family member.  

When: Regardless of how you choose to give, prospective donors should fill out the donor interest form at bit.ly/3O0yyAw by Dec. 2. Gifts and gift cards can be dropped off at the center’s administration building, 3909 N. Meridian St., on Dec. 2-9 during regular business hours (Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

How to get involved: Learn more about the holiday assistance program at damien.org/holiday-assistance. Email Lauren Wyatt with any questions at lwyatt@damien.org.

Contact IndyStar pop culture reporter Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on X/Twitter: @hollyvhays.

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