Find where to get help at Christmas, including free holiday programs in 2025.
Find where to get help at Christmas from charities in your area or even national organizations. During the 2025 holiday season, low-income families can get free Christmas toys, presents, and a wide variety of other gifts. A focus of these programs, such as those offered by a local charity or church, is on supporting families with kids or senior citizens. However, anyone that is struggling can apply in their area at a Christmas assistance program. Find where to get help at Christmas in your community, near you with links to phone numbers to local or national programs listed below. Assistance varies by organization, the applicant’s need and their local community. As noted below, there are many local charities that giveaway free Christmas gifts to children as well as boxes of food in 2025 to the working poor or households that are facing a hardship. There are also national organizations listed below that provide free help at Christmas, including applications for free Christmas toys. The main types of Christmas help available listed below include the following . Types of programs and who can get help with Christmas Local Christmas assistance programs National organizations that help with Christmas Below you will find information on various programs that help struggling people at Christmas and organizations that provide assistance with links to more details. If you have questions, want other tips from people from across the U.S . you can visit our discussion forum of Christmas assistance programs . Find replies from people across the country and post your needs or find other local resources.
Types of holiday programs that provide help with Christmas and who they assist
In general, local charities that may be near you or national organizations accept applications in an effort to ensure that every low income family has both a food basket and some type of Christmas gift given to them in 2025. The application process and dates for the 2025 free holiday assistance programs usually start during October or November timeframe, but this varies by location and community with some even open in September. Note the national programs that help people at Christmas also generally start in October too. However it is possible to be instantly alerted, in real time, to Christmas giveaways . The programs, all of which are free to apply to, go by various names as well . Depending on where the person lives and the local charities that provide help, the programs that provide help at Christmas may be referred to as Adopt-A-Family ,
Angel Tree
, Toys for Tots or even something generic such as Christmas gift giveaway . Some local organizations may also be involved in handing out free winter jackets through the Coats for Kids program for the Christmas season. How to improve your odds to get help at Christmas - be sure to apply as early as September or October. Be prepared with required documents (usually ID, proof of address, children’s ages/sizes if asking for gifts) and keep contact info current. All sorts of holiday items are given away . The various Christmas assistance programs that are offered by charities such as the Salvation Army or churches will provide everything from free toys for kids, clothes, stocking stuffers and more. A charity will also help seniors at Christmas so the holiday is not spent alone. Any Xmas toys or other forms of help are usually provided first come and served for those that are eligible. National organizations, including non-profits, may even deliver free Christmas gifts by mail to the homebound or low-income families in rural areas.
Local organizations that help with Christmas in your area
In addition to the counties listed below that list local free Christmas assistance programs , there are national programs that cover all states, counties, and cities. Continue to scroll down to find more free nationwide Christmas resources at the bottom of this page that help the low-income in 2025. There are also organizations that give free Christmas money for toy shopping in partnership with national retailers. The major metropolitan areas, listed below, often have several churches, faith based groups and charities that specialize in meeting the needs of the less fortunate during the holidays. The availability of resources will vary based on city and county and also what has been donated. Generally what will be given away by a charity around Christmas can include free toys, hot meals, presents for children, decorations, and more. Many organizations that may be near you will also deliver food and also companionship to senior citizens as well as the homebound.
Baldwin County
Birmingham region
Etowah County
Madison County
Mobile County
Tuscaloosa County
Maricopa County
Pima County
Pinal County
Fort Smith
area, including Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin and Logan County Northwest Arkansas, including Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison County
Pulaski County and Little Rock
Alameda County
Butte County
Contra Costa
Fresno County
Kern County
Los Angeles
Madera County
Orange County California
Placer and El Dorado County
Riverside California
Sacramento County
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Francisco
San Joaquin County
San Mateo County
Santa Barbara County
Santa Clara
Solano County
Sonoma County
Stanislaus County
Tulare County
Ventura County
Colorado Denver and surrounding counties
El Paso County
Connecticut New Haven, Hartford, and Fairfield Connecticut City of Bridgeport only Delaware (The entire state) District of Columbia
Washington DC
Brevard County
Broward County
Collier County
Duval County
Escambia and Santa Rosa County
Hillsborough County
and Tampa area.
Lee County
Leon County
and Tallahassee area
Marion County
Miami-Dade County
Orange County Florida
region.
Palm Beach County
including Martin and St. Lucie.
Pasco County
Pinellas County
Sarasota and Manatee
Polk County
Volusia County
as well as Flagler. Georgia Augusta, Richmond County, and Columbia area Christmas programs. Click here .
Atlanta and Fulton County
, including northern GA.
Bibb and Houston County
as well as central
Chatham County
and Coastal Georgia area.
Lowndes County and Valdosta
Muscogee County
- All cities and counties.
Idaho Boise area and surrounding counties. Illinois Chicago
DuPage County
Kane County
Lake County
Sangamon County
Will County
Winnebago County
Indiana Counties across central part of state, including Indianapolis . Northwestern Indiana, including Allen, Lake County and nearby regions.
Cedar Rapids and Linn County
Des Moines
Johnson County and Iowa City
as well as nearby counties
Johnson County
Sedgwick County
Topeka region and nearby counties
Bowling Green, Warren County
and nearby areas
Jefferson County
Lexington-Fayette area, including all of central
East Baton Rogue Parish
region
New Orleans
area, including Jefferson Parish
Rapides Parish
- The entire state.
Anne Arundel County
Howard County
Montgomery County
Prince George’s County
Essex County
Middlesex and Suffolk County Massachusetts
Plymouth County
Springfield and Hampden County
Worcester County
Genesee County
Kalamazoo County
Kent and Ottawa County
Michigan - southern and central region
Wayne and Oakland County
Entire State
- In addition to above,
Michigan VOA Adopt a Family
is available. Minnesota Minneapolis region, including Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, and Dakota Mississippi Gulfport and Biloxi region Hinds, Rankin, Madison County
Boone County
Kansas City
and surrounding counties. St. Louis
- Statewide holiday assistance programs.
Nebraska Omaha , including Douglas and Sarpy County.
Clark County Nevada
Washoe County
New Hampshire
Hillsborough County
Rockingham County
New Jersey
Atlantic County
Bergen County
Burlington County
Camden County
Essex County New Jersey
Gloucester County
Hudson County
Mercer County and Trenton
Middlesex County
Morris County
Ocean County
New Mexico
Bernalillo County
and Albuquerque
Dona Ana County and Las Cruces
New York
Albany County
Erie County and Buffalo
Jefferson and St. Lawrence County
Long Island
New York
New York City
Monroe County
Onondaga County
Orange, Dutchess, and Rockland County Or find charities that focus just on
Dutchess County
Westchester County
North Carolina
Buncombe County
Cumberland and Robeson County
Durham County
Forsyth County
Guilford County
Mecklenburg County
Wake County
Wilmington area, including Brunswick and New Hanover Ohio Cincinnati area, including northern KY and southern OH Cleveland and surrounding counties
Dayton and Montgomery County
Columbus and
Franklin County
area.
Greene County
Lucas County
Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbinia County
Stark County
Summit County
Le Flore and Sequoyah County
Oklahoma City
and surrounding counties, including Cleveland and others. Tulsa
Marion County and Salem
Portland region as well as 3 neighboring counties.
Allegheny County
and surrounding region.
Dauphin County
Erie County
Lancaster County
Lehigh and Northampton County
Luzerne County and Wilkes-Barre
York County
Rhode Island
- Agencies have Christmas help for all counties, including Providence.
South Carolina
- The whole state.
There are also holiday programs focused on the area around
Charleston County
, including Dorchester and Berkeley.
Greenville County
has dedicated free Christmas programs. Or locate
Myrtle Beach and Horry County
holiday programs.
South Dakota
- The entire state
Tennessee Chattanooga
Knox County
Montgomery County and Clarksville
Northeastern Tennessee
, including Kingsport and Johnson City region.
Shelby County
Austin and Travis County
as well as nearby regions
Bell County
Cameron County
Collin County
Denton County
El Paso County
Fort Bend County
Galveston County
Entire
Harris County
area. Find another charity focused on Houston .
Hidalgo County
Lubbock County
San Antonio
Tarrant County
Salt Lake County
Vermont Burlington area, including Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle. Virginia Albemarle and Charlottesville area. Eastern Virginia and
Hampton Roads
area.
Henrico County and Chesterfied
Fairfax County
Loudoun County
Prince William County
Spotsylvania and Stafford County as well as Fredericksburg
Clark County
King County Washington
Pierce County
Snohomish County
and North Sound area.
Spokane County
West Virginia
(Resources for the state)
Dane County
Milwaukee County
Waukesha and Racine County
National programs that provide free Christmas and holiday assistance
The Salvation Army
not only has locations in every single state, but they also operate in most towns and counties in those states. Even if a center is not near you, the agency will usually have referrals to other nearby charities and Christian churches that may be able to help during the holidays. Find a list of local list of local Salvation Army assistance programs . One of the Salvation Army programs that is offered in most communities, and that is in highest demand, is
Angel Tree
. It provides free toys, gifts, clothes to kids, winter attire and more to children and even struggling senior citizens. Everyone should be able to receive some type of holiday cheer, and this resource can help make that happen. Read more on
Salvation Army Angel Tree program
. While the demand is greatest during the 2025 Christmas holiday season, the Salvation Army operates year round and also has other options available to low income families for their Easter and Thanksgiving needs. Find a comprehensive listing of all of the Salvation Army’s holiday programs . Whether Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, there is support from the holiday programs , and contact them for additional details. Toys for Tots is offered in all states and it helps the low-income at Christmas. Also be sure to always ask a charity about some of the other similar sounding programs that may be available where you live. As a local charity or church can be a great source of holiday information on the Marine Corps Toys for Tot program or other free Christmas assistance program. The point being every community will have a program in place that is similar to Toys for Tots that gives kids from working poor families some type of free gift to open Christmas morning. USO (United Service Organizations) hosts nationwide holiday programs for service members and their families, with many events in local communities. Think free Christmas toy giveaway events, holiday meal kits, and “Operation Holiday” gatherings on and near installations. Events are local, but coordinated through a national network with details here. https://www.uso.org/programs/uso-operation-celebration .
USPS Operation Santa
helps struggling parents with kids during the Christmas Season. It is an nationwide Angel Tree / Adopt a Family Type program in which kids can “write letters” to Santa Claus with their Wishlist of gifts. Generous members of the country may purchase the stuff for the kids and mail it, or they can pick it up locally. More on the
USPS Operation Santa Program
. Free clothing banks and thrift stores are available in most communities as well as nationally. They may sell, or giveaway, gently used clothes or toys to the general public which can then be used as Christmas presents by those families. Some of the centers near you may even provide vouchers or gift certificates to qualified low income families to help them during the Christmas season. Those can then be used to shop for free items during the holiday at the clothing closet. Find more on free clothes and items from clothing closets . Referrals are also available to many other places with free Xmas programs. The free United Way holiday program is involved in partnering with thousands of non-profits, churches, corporations, and other groups, all of which may provide assistance in 2025 during Christmas. The non-profit is focused on local communities, and families can get information on meals, lists of gift giving programs, where to get presents for their kids, and more. Find details on United Way Christmas assistance programs . Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a national Clearinghouse Christmas assistance program too - this is in addition to the local community resources above. The Catholic Volunteer Charity accepts donations of money, gifts for kids, clothes, gift cards and more and provides the stuff to kids at Christmas. Find details on local and national Saint Vincent de Paul programs for the low-income .
Prison Fellowship Angel Tree
serves children of incarcerated parents with free Christmas gifts delivered in the parent’s name. It operates nationally through churches and community partners. Caregivers of the kid(S) can connect with a local Angel Tree charity or, in some areas, apply online and details of the program are here. https://www.prisonfellowship.org/about/angel-tree/ .
The Lions Club
is a nationwide network of volunteers, young professionals, and even local businesses. They hold holiday drives and give out everything from free Christmas tress to games, gifts, toys, meals, presents and more. The sick and elderly in nursing homes may also get help as well as the unemployed or single mothers with a low or no-income More details on Christmas help from the Lions Club . Volunteers of America , a national charity that helps the poor, homeless and vulnerable, also provides help at Christmas as well as other holidays , including Thanksgiving. VOA may offer toys for children, free Christmas presents for households run by single moms or parents, Meals on Wheels for the homebound, and veteran support too. Find how to get Christmas help from Volunteers of America and learn about the application process. Soldiers’ Angels has a national Adopt-A-Family program, with gifts and food given out locally. The non-profit pairs donor “angels” with deployed service members, post-9/11 wounded, and low-income veteran families for holiday gifts and a grocery gift card. More information is here. https://soldiersangels.org/holiday-adopt-a-family/ .