WHEN?
Christmas House takes place annually the first Saturday of December in the heart of Chapel Hill.
WHAT IS CHRISTMAS HOUSE?
Christmas House is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that provides gifts for more than 840 local children, all from families referred to us by local school social workers as being most in need of assistance.
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Christmas House has been organized by The Chapel Hill Service League and has been making the holidays brighter for local families since 1950. However, it is truly a community effort. Thanks to the generous support of local business and community members, parents and guardians are invited to attend a one-day shopping spree to select new toys, coats, books, and in some lucky cases a new bike and helmet for their children.
WHO DO WE SERVE?
Christmas House serves Orange County families with children ages 3 to 14 years old. Participation is needs based, and all families are referred to us by local school social workers, who know each family's needs the best. Christmas House and The Chapel Hill Service League do not take part in selecting participating families.
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Roughly 1200 invitations are sent each year to local families.
FACTS & FIGURES
842
COATS
GIFTED
1684
BOOKS
GIFTED
93
BIKES
GIFTED
1260
VOLUNTEER
HOURS INVESTED
Thousands!
TOYS GIFTED
HOW TO SUPPORT CHRISTMAS HOUSE?
There are many ways you or your group can support Christmas House. Here are a few ideas below, but we encourage you and your group to think outside the box. New ideas are always welcome!
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Donate online or mail checks to: CHRISTMAS HOUSE PO BOX 3543, CHAPEL HILL, NC 27515
PASTA WITH PURPOSE
November 12, 2019
Experience casual dining at an amazing value! While you enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner, you can be comforted to know that you are contributing $11 of the $14 dollars to Christmas House to purchase bikes.
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Adults $14
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Children (6-12yrs) $6.00
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Reservations required:
(919) 962-1101
VOLUNTEER!
Volunteering with Christmas House is not only exciting and fun, but incredibly rewarding. Whether you help with setup, stocking toys, serving as a shopping guide, bagging gifts, distributing bikes, or with clean-up, you are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of families, because you help make Christmas House possible. Below is a quick video from our 2015 event to help give you a feel for Christmas House from the volunteer perspective.
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We have volunteer opportunities Thursday afternoon, Friday all day, and Saturday all day. We operate in 2 hour shifts from 7:30am - 10am, 10am - 12pm, 12pm - 2pm, 2pm - 4pm, and 4pm - 6pm. Volunteers must be able to work on their feet for a minimum of 2 hours and be able to handle light lifting.
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SPECIAL NEED: We serve many non-English speaking families and have a need for
Spanish-speaking and Karan-speaking Guides.
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Visit our Volunteer Sign up form for a detailed list of volunteer opportunities and to sign-up,
or contact one of our Volunteer Coordinators via email to let them know your availability and interest.
TOY OR BATTERY DRIVE
Your group of co-workers, neighbors, book club members, etc. can sponsor a toy drive to collect toys that will be given away at Christmas House. New toys are needed, for children ages 3 through 14 years old (eighth grade).
Another option would be to collect batteries for Christmas House---we need all sizes AAA, AA, C, D and 9V. You'd be surprised how many toys require batteries, and we never want to send gifts home without everything a family needs to have them ready to be wrapped to go under the tree. Both toys and batteries are areas of great need!
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Often someone in the group will have a holiday party or event where toys are collected---otherwise there is a designated time/place for collections.
Sometimes a group will put up a “Wish Tree” in a communal spot for a few weeks. The Wish Tree is a holiday tree decorated with ornaments that describe the age of a child in need (we provide the ornaments). Donors select an ornament from the Wish Tree, purchase a gift for that child, and leave it in a collection box at the Wish Tree at their convenience. Donations of money can be made online HERE, or via Christmas House envelopes we provide.
In any case, if your group would like to do a toy or battery drive, we will be happy to arrange a pickup for the donated items.
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CONTACT A CHRISTMAS HOUSE CO-CHAIR TO SETUP A TOY OR BATTERY DRIVE
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COMMUNITY WISH TREES
Wish Trees are holiday trees decorated with ornaments that describe the age of a child in need. Donors select an ornament from a Wish Tree, purchase a gift for that child, and leave it in a collection box at a Wish Tree at their convenience. You don't need to select an ornament first in order to donate a gift. Many donors choose gifts of their own selection and drop them off as well. All gifts are accepted with our most sincere thanks!
Donations of money can be made online HERE, or via Christmas House envelopes also found on the Wish Trees. *Please mail the money envelopes. Do not leave monetary donations in the Wish Tree collection boxes. Christmas House envelopes are pre-adressed. If you do not have one, you can mail your donation to:
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CHRISTMAS HOUSE
PO BOX 3543
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27515
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Christmas House Wish Trees can be found around town at the below locations beginning around
Thanksgiving weekend through December 24th.
University Place
201 S. Estes Drive
Chapel Hill
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One Wish Tree is located outside of Chick-fil-A .
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One Wish Tree is located outside of Silver Spot Movie Theater.
Carr Mill Mall
200 North Greensboro St.
Carrboro
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One Wish Tree located between
Ali Cat Toys and Carrboro Pizza
Flyleaf Bookstore
752 MLK Jr Blvd.
Chapel Hill
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One Wish Tree located inside the bookstore.
FOOD DONATIONS
Our team of nearly 300 volunteers work unbelievably hard, whether it’s for one shift or 3 days straight. To keep everyone functioning at the top of their game, we make sure hot meals and snacks are available for volunteers, all day long, for all three days. If your organization is interested in donating snacks and drinks, or brining by meal items, our volunteers will be forever grateful!
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