We had a number of families in our ward who really needed some some help with Christmas. In years past we had done an angel tree where people could pick an item to purchase. Our Relief Society President wanted Sub for Santa to be more anonymous. The tree was anonymous, but when little Johnny shows up at church in the red sweater you purchased for Sub-for-Santa, you know which families received help that year.

Last year our Relief Society President asked for gift cards for those families in need. She asked for any donation people were comfortable with and asked that they come from a local store or a large chain such as Target, Wal-Mart etc. This way the individual families could make the Christmas purchase themselves. They were able to purchase clothing that they knew would fit, or gifts they knew their child would love. It also gave the parents a sense that although they were being helped, they were able to provide Christmas for their families.

We collected more donations this way than we ever imagined. We were able to help some non-members living within our boundaries who were really struggling. One woman even remarked that she had been praying for a miracle to help her.

I think part of the success was how easy it was for the members. It is really hard to go purchase "a toy for a 8 year old boy" or "clothing for size 7 girl". It is easy to pick up a gift card while you are out doing your Christmas shopping.

The gift cards were delivered by the Relief Society President (she and the bishop were the ONLY ones who knew who the families were) about 2 weeks before Christmas so they would have time to do their shopping.
 

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