Looking for Some Help

I know that where I live in Oregon, you can get help for Christmas gifts through the county and DHS.

You have some great resources on here already to get your boys a few things, but I wanted to add... don't underestimate the value of a home-made gift for your boys to flesh out their holidays a little. I don't know how handy you are with sewing or crafty things, but I grew up with almost always getting homemade gifts for the holidays because we couldn't afford anything store-bought. Even though my parents are better off financially now, I've asked my mom to make things for my boys rather than just buy them something, because I have a lot of wonderful memories of the things that she made for my brother and I, and I always knew how much love she had put into the gifts. One year she made my boys both reversible super-hero capes that were black on one side with the Batman symbol painted on, and red on the other side with the Superman symbol. They played with them for years and still have them even though they've outgrown that stage. Another year, she made them personalized alphabet books where each page was of something in their life and had pictures "A is for Aunt", "B is for your favorite Bear, BOBO", etc. My older son got this book when he was about 2, (he's now 10) and this year he decided to take that book in for show & tell at school (I immediately called my mom and told her, and we both had a good cry). Another year, she made them a bunch of felt people, vehicles, dinosaurs & animals that they could play with on a big board that she covered in felt.

My in-laws are wealthy and started off buying my kids the coolest, most expensive toy at every opportunity, but then they realized that the kids got tired of those toys pretty quickly (how much fun is a toy that does "everything" when it leaves no room for a child with an imagination), whereas my mom's home-made gifts lasted and lasted. My in-laws have started taking my boys for an "experience" as their gift, whether it's a weekend away somewhere, or a day at the movies and a trip to the candy store, because they've realized that it isn't always the "stuff" that the kids will remember, but the experiences attached to those things.

I also like the idea of a coupon book for your son's birthday, perhaps. Get a crown from Burger King, present him with the coupons, and make a big thing of him getting to make all of the decisions for the day (Do it the weekend before if you have to work the day of). "Pancakes or cereal for breakfast?" "Park or storytime at the library?" "Would you like to finger-paint?" "Should we have some ice cream after lunch?" "Hot dogs or macaroni & cheese for dinner?" "Which movie should we watch tonight?" "Should we have popcorn with that movie?" You don't have to spend money to make him feel special, important and loved, which is the goal of celebrating birthdays, after all.

Keep your chin up, it will all be OK and your boys will grow up knowing how much you love them no matter how much "stuff" they do or don't get.

Are you a part of a church or do you have any friends who are? Churches always look for the needy families to give holiday meals and toys...don't worry sweetie - it is hard and we've all been there. There were years my mom couldn't do anything for Christmas but we still made hot chocolate, sang songs, and watched movies. Make it special for them - Little trees are inexpensive (like 10 dollars - maybe even less some places) and some dollar store ornaments. The only way you let them down is by not smiling for them - make the day special! The library has christmas movies and music - let the festivities begin! Please know that I know this is hard...We only get to do one present for each baby this year but we're hanging lights and singing anyhow for them. You are doing such a hard job right now and it truly is appreciated. You are wonderful and your babies love you.
I don't know where you are but a friend told me that the armory here in Albany gives out presents - maybe something like that would help? Merry Christmas and keep your chin up!

C.

You could make hand made invitation to a b-day party and let others bring a gift and chances are you will get at least one present. If you don't want to make a cake maybe see if a coworker or friend would mind baking a cake or getting cupcakes and joining in on the fun even if they don't have kids. Jiffy makes blueberry muffin mix for a dollar and I add a few chocolate chips and sprinkle sugar on top and bake. Spending time with him coloring or doing a project or asking him for help might be nice. My friend bought a make your own cheap kids bird feeder. They just had to help him nail in about 6 little nails and then they put dried old bread crumbs and watched the birds. Shelters have a list of places that help with food and supplies you could call and ask to get on a list. Hang in there. Times are tough for lots and maybe some people you know may want to donate 3-5 dollars a piece for a few Christmas presents. Happy holidays.

Go to http://www.neighborhood-kids.com/ and type in "community toy store" or "Rebound". It looks like a great way to get gifts for your boys that you can choose yourself. Hope that helps. Merry Christmas!
J.

Well, I'm in about the same situation as you but I only have one son and I work almost full time. I barely get by each month as it is. The only state assistance that I get is foodstamps and no child support. Every year they send me an application for holiday assistance. I have never applied because I feel there are people out there that need that more than me. I do know one girl that did it and she only had one child that was still an infant. She got a ton of stuff including food. I live in Oregon so I'm not sure how it works in Washington but you should get ahold of your local DHS (department of human services) office and they can help you out. And honey, don't feel bad! It's happing all across America right now. Where's our bailout right? Your love is all those babies need. Maybe even if all you can do is make some kind of special priviledge or change in the house that the boys may have been wanting. My sister is making her boys room a "big boys room" for xmas because she doesn't have much money either. She is going to take all there "baby" toy out and rearrange there room and dismantle there bunk beds. It doesn't sound that special but it's all in the way you word it to them I guess. Also maybe you could have Ryan pick out one of his old toys to give to Owen, since he is really to young to know the difference anyway...just an idea. Best of luck to you and happy holidays!!!

Hi C.,
we donate regularly to the Arc of Spokane. They help single parent families and families with disabled childern. they may be able to help you. Let me know if you had any luck with them. We do have an extra MACK TRUCK (from the movie CARS) he is still in the box and i would love to send it to you.

R. o.

The Arc of Spokane.
116 W Indiana Ave
Spokane, WA 99205
###-###-####

Talk to your children's school counselor. There are many organizations that contact schools to offer help this time of year. All information shared with your school counselor remains confidential.

There was a fundraiser here for Toys for Tots and they help families in need over the holiday season with gift giving for their children. I would look online and see if there is anything in your area.

You may want to check with your local churches and see if they have a youth group that sponsors families. It's worth a shot! I was a youth leader and we helped families during Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. It was a lot of fun to help others.

S.
http://www.DeliveringWellnessToYou.com

C.,
If you are ok with giving out your address and what your sons would like for Christmas, I would be more than happy to send them something. I know how it is to not be able to give your children something for Christmas... it does not feel good.
God bless you and your boys.
K.

Most communities have some sort of Christmas House where you can go...local churches, organizations like Kiwanas, Elks, Eagles,etc. You should also call your local United Way and/or Salvation Army. If you're having difficulty with a toy or two, you probably need help with food, too. Catholic Community Services is also another good organization to contact. In downtown Tacoma, they have a hospitality kitchen that serves two (usually) hot meals a day, breakfast and lunch, and a food bank in the same building, and I would think Spokane has similar programs.

Bast of luck to you and your boys~Merry Christmas

Go to one of the community centers, I know there's one on the northside somewhere but I dont know where, but the one in the valley is on broadway East of Argonne if you were heading south... its on the right side of the road, looks like a church... a elementary is across the street. There is a WIC office downstairs. The WIC office always sent me and my fam to this event thing that goes on at the fairgrounds once a year in December for families that need help getting gifts for their kids. At the fair you go in and tell them some info (the WIC office knows what you will need) and they give you a number or something and then you go through this big room of books and toys and some clothes all in different groups (age limit, stuffed animal, remote control, books, ect.) and you get to pick a thing from each catergory (I think your number tells you how much you get from each, I only have one child so I took only one from each) And the toys are new and they have many to choose from. They even have a daycare center (free) while you "shop" for the kids :) This program really helped my family out.
I found the address to the WIC office, its : 10814 E Broaday and the phone number is ###-###-####
They can tell you more about the program. Just tell them your situation and that you are looking for a way to get X-mas gifts for you kids and you heard about a program at the fairgrounds...
Also at the community center is the food bank and you could ask them when they are doing the turkey day and you could get your whole christmas dinner there.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Hello C.,
I am sorry to hear of your situation, I understand. Salvation Army has help for families all the time, especially at Christmas. Also, St. Vincent DePaul. Also, I think the dollar store is a great place to find new, current toys for kids, especially your four year old.
I wish you all the best.

Your local welfare office will help.One year my husband got laid off and they helped us with Christmas presents for the kids and we got a basket full of food for Christmas dinner.They even gave us stockings with presents and candy in them.And we werent even on welfare at the time.Luckily our tough times didnt last too long but we were sure grateful for the help we got that Christmas.

C., I know you can go to the Christmas Bureau in Spokane. I believe that it is at the fairgrounds and you can pick out toys for the children and they also give you a small food voucher for a local grocery store so you can provide a meal for your family. I belive it starts this weekend. You are welcome to email if you have any other questions ____@____.com Keep trying the toys for tots because they are most likely busy. Don't give up and please let me know what you find out. I just looked at the Spokesmanreview and the Christmas Bureau is the 10th to 13 and the 15th to the 20th at the fairgrounds and the phone number is ###-###-####,

My good friend who works for Catholic Charities in Spokane let me know about this event at the Fairgrounds, called The Christmas Bureau. If you go to the Fairgrounds, December 10-13 or 14-20 from 10-2:30 you can get toys for each child, and a food voucher. You just need proof of address for yourself and each child. Something like a medical coupon or a note from your child's school would be a good proof of address for your child. She said they're likely to accept almost anything for proof of address for a child. But you do need something for each of you.

Also, she has 4 telephone numbers for Toys for Tots, and says that it can be really difficult to get through to them, but to keep trying. Don't give up if you get that fast sounding busy signal, either. Just keep trying. Here are all the #s.

###-###-####
###-###-####
###-###-####
###-###-####

If you have any questions about any of this, please let me know, and I'll ask her. Or you can call up Catholic Charities and ask them. They're a really neat organization, and you definetly don't have to be Catholic. My friend who works there isn't. =)

Merry Christmas to you, Ryan, and Owen, C.!!!

Hi, I know this was posted awhile ago, but I thought I would add an idea since I am just now going through my email, and it might help.

I would try looking at Freecycle. It is an online yahoo group that has local groups in lots of different areas. Depending on how active your group is in your area, you could find lots of good things there. I have gotten Christmas presents for my kids from there in the past. Especially as people upgrade to something new and want to get rid of their old. No money is involved. And you don't do a direct trade for things that you want or are getting rid of. You just post if you are looking for something specific, or if you have something to get rid of. And other people do the same. Then you communicate through email until it is decided if who the recipients or takers are going to be. Some things go pretty quickly, but I have seen lots of good things here in our area.

Good luck, and blessings for better times ahead for you!

I don't really know of any organizations, but if you are expecting a tax return, which I'm sure you are, you can go to h& r block or jackson hewitt (though i would recommend h&r block) and you can get an advance on your tax return, its really easy and it costs you nothing out of pocket, then later when you file your return, you pay it back or if you file through h&r block for your full return, they just take the amount of the advance out of that. Its instant money and you can get up to $1000. You just have to take in your most recent paystubs from any jobs you've had and your copy of last years tax return.

C.,

If you are not associated with a local church, I would recommend contacting your local police department...lots of times they know of or sponsor groups for help this time of year. Also, contact the local Toys for Tots, news stations, and other public avenues that you see on the news.

Good luck.

I am there with you...at least our boys are young enough that it doesn't matter much yet...we also have help through our church. If you do not know if your church offers assistance, ask someone you know...they can be a ocntact point or research person for you as well.

T.

Go down to toys for tots. You actually have to make the request in person
REQUEST TOYS

SSgt Tarek Aissaoui ###-###-#### ext 0

I don't have the address for the spokane location but here is the contact info you should be using. You have to go down to the location and fill out a short form. They will take great care of you there. This is a year that a lot of people need help so I would go soon! My company donates every year to the Coeur D Alene office and the guy there told us they had 250 requests for help on day one alone!

Join FreeCycle.org - you get a few daily emails with ALL FREE items people don't need anymore and are still completely useable. You can even request items. We have given away probably about $2000+ worth of stuff on there and have gotten quite a few things too. :-D It's not a charity, but you might be interested to see what all you can get from people. It's just a group of like-minded people that want to pass on what they can't use anymore and keep things out of landfills.

Also, what type of items are you looking for? Maybe some moms on here have items their kids were done with and could pass on to you. :-)

Oh, I would like to add... many times kids want THINGS much less than they want your TIME. Maybe give them "coupons" they can redeem throughout the year for library trips, playtime at the park, getting a scoop of ice cream, baking cookies, etc. - all so you can spend more quality time together. :-D

Sometimes the local food banks will have toys around the holidays. I don't specifically the ones in your area but we have several such as fishline and sharenet. See if they are listed in your area.

My son's name is Owen but he is 16 now.

We do not celebrate Chrismas, and have never really bought hanukkah gifts for out son who is three, we just celebrate the holiday...would it work to just do "experiences" instead of actual gifts? Can you find someone to watch each of the boys so you can have 1-1 time with the other for a day? Then plan some fun stuff like a trip to the park or something else outdoors, make cookies...
Also, not sure if you have a circle of friends, but I saw a story about mom's who do a toy swap every few months. You could arrange something like this - ask everyone to bring a few toys, and then take a few toys.

C. ~

It is a hard time for everyone right now .. you are right! I am sorry it is so in particular for you. Things WILL get better! If I were you, I would call a church in your area -- I have a couple of phone numbers for you. Most churches have a "giving tree" for people in your situation. And, most are for kids that don't attend -- so that's not something you have to worry about! (We do this annually over here on the west side.) Here are the numbers: New Life Assembly -- ###-###-####. First Assembly -- ###-###-####. Glad Tidings -- ###-###-####. I hope one of this work for you! Have a Merry Christmas!!

T.

Hi C.!

Your son and my son share the same birthday! As far as getting gifts, check around with the salvation army and united way...the Salvation Army helps with an "adopt a family" thing. You fill out a form with your needs/wants for christmas and they get a family to do some shopping for you. It does help out a lot...we used it a couple of years and they often include a Christmas dinner box. Make sure you find out where they are distributing Christmas dinner boxes too..food shelves do that usually in the last couple of weeks before christmas.

Good Luck to you!
Happy Holidays!

check with the salvation army.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-text...

Hello C.! I wish you lived closer...I am in Vancouver...and my church is doing a toy drive type of thing. So my advice would be to check with some local churches to see if they can help. Or another organization that helps families out with Christmas is Volunteers of America. Their web address in Spokane is: www.voaspokane.org and their phone number is: ###-###-####. Just keep loving those boys like you are and all will be good:-) Have a Merry Christmas:-)

Most towns offer some sort of clearing house that helps family in need, some are new and some are gently used and cleaned up to look new, they make them age appropriate and also check with your local salvation army....times are tough, and I have been in your situation, You do what you have to so you get through, and I wish you the best of luck. All to often we put to much pressure on ourselves to make everything perfect for our children, and they are always happy with the best that we can do.

C., I would highly recommend that you call 211. This is a free number where you can potentially be matched with an agency that could help you and your children. I wish all the best for you and your family.

There is a church called Sunrise Church in Hillsboro off of Cornell that offers toys, clothes, food, and other things. They offer it once every week on Thursdays.

My next door neighbor went there and got name brand clothing like Doc Martens for her kids and clothes with the tags still on it. The food was not out-dated and she even found some clothes for herself that were in style.

I would try there first instead of the Salvation Army. They are usually picked over too well.

Also, I saw that someone wrote the Dollar Store. Did you know that this is where we got most of my kids toys last year? THey are great for having tons of things that are fun and age appropriate. Plus they sometimes offer clothes and cleaning items, food, storage items, etc. Mind you, I think the dollar generals in the Midwest offer more, but you could check out your local store and see what they have to offer.

Best wishes and I hope that you are not down on yourself too much. You are doing what you can and that's good enough. Your children will love you and respect you for all you do. Keep up the good work.

Kim B.

C.,

Toys for Tots is a partnership between the Marine Reserves and the Salvation Army. In most areas the toys are distributed through the Salvation Army so I would call them. Is your 4 year old in head start? If he is you can also speak with his home teacher. They might have a program or at the very least be able to put you in touch with an organization.

Keep your chin up. I know it's hard and you want to do everything you can for your kids but it will get better. The great news: especially at this age they don't tend to care what or how much as long as they have a loving mom!

N.

I'm not familiar with Spokane but do you have a charity named Hopelink? If not, check with a couple of your local churches. Sometimes they have toy drives at Christmas or know of where you can find help.

Also instead of thinking about presents, what about doing something together like a special playdate with all of them or each one separately. They will enjoy the time with you.

God bless you.

M.

Hi C.,
I actually grew up in a home where gifts were minimal at best, we didn't have a lot of money. One Christmas I remember the most is one where my mom made a doll for me out of material she had on hand and because the doll was my size I could share my clothes with her. We spent time together as a family and my memories are happy ones because of that.

I have a 2 year old son and I want to be able to hand him the world this year if I could but I know that he would be just as happy with a big box to play in as he would with a brand new toy. I would encourage you to think outside the gift bag and maybe spend time making things with your boys. A couple of ideas - make and decorate a christmas tree with your sons out of construction paper and tape it to a window. If the boys have little cars or trucks, cut a box down so it is flat and color roads on it and the boys can drive their cars on it. Get a big box from a local store, usually they have boxes that they are throwing away and are happy to give them to people, and make a play house out of it. Time spent is one of those priceless gifts.

I do pick up little things throughout the year and save them in a gift box for times when I need a last minute gift. I would love to send a few things to you for your boys if you feel comfortable giving me your name and address and some ideas for what the boys need or like.

B.

Try Volunteers of America - they have some programs and Salvation Army.

Try a church. My parents live in Spokane and go to a wonderful church. First Assembly of God.

Good luck and happy holidays.