As the holiday season approaches, we want to ensure you have access to meaningful support and opportunities to celebrate with your loved ones. Our 2024 Holiday Resource List is designed to help military service members, veterans, and their families with everything from gift cards and presents to Thanksgiving meals and special Santa programs.
We encourage you to explore the various resources available and make sure to check individual websites for specific details and deadlines. We value your service and hope these resources bring joy and comfort during this special time of year.
Warmest wishes,
Project Sanctuary Family Support Team
Familysupport@projectsanctuary.us
Soldiers' Angels - Holiday Adopt-A-Family
- Description: This program supports military families, veterans, and wounded service members during the holiday season by matching them with sponsors who provide gifts for children and grocery gift cards for holiday meals.
Operation Homefront - Holiday Meals for Military
- Description: Operation Homefront partners with corporate sponsors to provide military families with full holiday meal kits. These meal kits include everything needed to prepare a traditional holiday meal, easing the financial burden during the holidays.
- Website: Operation Homefront Holiday Meals
Trees for Troops
- Description: In partnership with Christmas tree growers and retailers, Trees for Troops provides free, real Christmas trees to military families at bases across the U.S. and overseas. Trees are distributed during the holiday season to active-duty service members.
- Website: Trees for Troops
Blue Star Families - Holiday Resources
- Description: Blue Star Families hosts holiday events, including toy giveaways, meal distributions, and community activities for military families. These events help ease holiday stresses by bringing joy and community engagement to military families.
- Website: Blue Star Families Events
Operation Gratitude - Holiday Care Packages
- Description: Operation Gratitude sends holiday care packages to deployed service members, veterans, and first responders to show appreciation for their service. Volunteers can participate in letter writing and package assembly as a way to give back.
American Red Cross - Holiday for Heroes
- Description: The Red Cross Holiday for Heroes program delivers cards, care packages, and holiday greetings to active-duty military, veterans, and their families. It provides an opportunity for the public to express gratitude and spread holiday cheer to service members.
The USO - Holidays with the USO
- Description: The USO hosts holiday programs, including care packages, virtual events, and in-person celebrations, to bring joy to service members and their families. These events include everything from holiday feasts to gift-giving, and they are available worldwide.
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation - Caregiver Holiday Support
- Description: The foundation offers resources and support for military caregivers during the holiday season, including respite programs, gift-giving opportunities, and special holiday events to reduce the stress of caregiving during the holidays.
- Website: Elizabeth Dole Foundation
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) - Unmet Needs Program
- Description: The VFW’s Unmet Needs Program provides grants to military families struggling with financial hardships, especially during the holiday season. This support ensures that veterans and military families can have a stress-free holiday.
Fisher House Foundation - Holiday Hero Miles Program
- Description: The Fisher House Foundation’s Hero Miles Program allows people to donate frequent flyer miles, which are used to help military families travel to visit injured service members during the holidays.
Toys for Tots
- Description: This program, run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, collects new, unwrapped toys during the holiday season and distributes them to less fortunate children in military and civilian communities.
- Website: Toys for Tots
Give An Hour - Holiday Support for Mental Health
- Description: Give An Hour provides free mental health services to military members, veterans, and their families, particularly during the often-stressful holiday season. They offer counseling and support to help manage holiday-related stress and emotions.
- Website: Give An Hour
Operation Holiday Joy (Armed Services YMCA)
- Description: This program provides holiday food baskets and toys to junior-enlisted military families. With help from the community, the Armed Services YMCA distributes gift cards and toys to families in need during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Website: Armed Services YMCA - Operation Holiday Joy- https://asymca.org/what-we-do/operation-holiday-joy/
Support Our Troops - Special Christmas Program
- Description: Support Our Troops delivers holiday care packages, including toys and gift cards, to deployed military members, veterans, and their families to brighten the holiday season. They also provide gifts and meals for military families in need.
- Website: Support Our Troops
Operation Help a Hero - Operation Christmas Spirit
- Description: This program “adopts” military families in need, providing them with gifts, gift cards, and holiday meals. They focus on supporting deployed service members’ families and wounded veterans, offering holiday cheer through donations.
- Website: Operation Help a Hero- https://www.operationhelpahero.org/operation-christmas-spirit-single-service-member-gifts.html
Hope for the Warriors - Holiday Giving Initiative
- Description: This initiative provides gift cards to military families for holiday meals and presents. The program is designed to alleviate the financial burden during the holiday season and ensure that military families can celebrate with less stress.
- Website: Hope for the Warriors
Holiday Meals for Military - Operation Homefront
- Description: Operation Homefront provides free holiday meal kits (including Thanksgiving and Christmas meals) to military families. These kits contain all the ingredients for a festive meal, and gift cards may be provided to help with other needs.
- Website: Holiday Meals for Military- https://operationhomefront.org/holiday-meals-for-military/
Santa Boots Program - Boot Campaign
- Description: Boot Campaign’s Santa Boots Program delivers surprise gifts, including toys, gift cards, and special holiday treats, to military families across the country. The program aims to show appreciation for service members and veterans during the holidays.
- Website: Boot Campaign Santa Boots- https://bootcampaign.org/seasonsofserviceprogram/
Operation Homefront - Holiday Toy Drive
- Description: Partnering with Dollar Tree, Operation Homefront collects and distributes toys to military children across the nation. Families can register to receive toys, and events are held to bring holiday cheer to military communities.
- Website: Operation Homefront Toy Drive- https://operationhomefront.org/holiday-toy-drive/
Adopt-A-Soldier-Platoon - Holiday Gift Packages
- Description: This program sends holiday gift packages filled with treats, snacks, and presents to deployed service members. It aims to remind troops that they are remembered and appreciated during the holiday season.
- Website: Adopt-A-Soldier-Platoon
A Million Thanks - Holiday Card Drive
- Description: A Million Thanks runs a holiday card campaign where individuals can send cards of appreciation and holiday greetings to deployed military members. This small gesture helps spread holiday cheer to service members far from home.
- Website: A Million Thanks
The Christmas Spirit Foundation - Santa’s Sleigh Christmas
- Description: Santa's Sleigh is a program by the Christmas Spirit Foundation, providing Christmas trees, gift cards, and presents to military families. It also arranges holiday visits from Santa to military bases and communities.
- Website: Santa's Sleigh Christmas
