Christmas for NJ Kids 2017

Two years ago, we found out about a family that had nothing for thier four kids and Evans Family Lego Project came to the rescue... Last year the project spread and we helped eight local families (with fifteen kids) and this is our THIRD year... our list of families needing help is growing and hopefully our donations grow as well...

In the next few weeks, we will be driving all over South Jersey to pick up donations offered by you AWESOME people so that we can make a bunch of families have a truly magical Christmas.

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☃️ This year's Pay-it-Forward Details: A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE is NEEDED for TWELVE + children (We are continuing to add families daily). Without us, these families would have no Christmas Gifts.

Please help us change that and make a miracle happen for these families.
(Updated 12/03/17)

Please give a moment of your time to see if you can help any of these seven LOCAL families who have NO GIFTS for these deserving kids - currently 12+ (the list keeps growing)  :-(

We are currently helping FIVE families but we have more than thirty requests to go through and folks to contact, so we will be adding more families until we are unable to do any more!; 

These families are all living in South Jersey. There are a huge variety of reasons these folks deserve our help; There's a big mix...Military veterans, victims of domestic violence, families affected by illness, injury, job loss, fires, disabled children and adults, families with special needs kids, those who are struggling to remain in their homes, and those recovering from homelessness- some have recently lost jobs while others work multiple low-wage jobs that simply don't cover the bills. Whatever the situation, these families are honest, good people who are VERY grateful for your help.

The parents in all of these families are all sober, law-abiding adults who are struggling financially. They are trying desperately but have been unable to provide for their kids this holiday, but we are going to make it happen for them. We haven't helped these families in past years-  each year we help new folks who have found themselves in a tough position right before the holiday.

We serve the families who often find out too late that many programs require applications often MONTHS before Christmas.

I have spoken EXTENSIVELY to the parents.

To be clear - we don't want to meet the kids. We want to preserve the magic of Christmas, the dignity of the parents, and the magic that is SANTA - because that's what we are doing collectively. We are becomming Santa, and Santa is bringing these presents, not Kristie or Evans Family Lego Project. We're just the Elves.



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Currently Helping:

Eight Adults - Five Women, Three men


The Children:

Babies:

Age 10 Months (Female)
Age 14 Months (Male)


Toddlers/Preschoolers:

Age 2 (Male)
Age 2 (Male)
Age 3 (Female)
Age 4 (Female)
Age 5 (Female)


Kids:

Age 9 (Male)
Age 11 (Female)
Age 11 (Female)
Age 12 (Male)

Teens:

Age 13 (Female)


Pets:
Chinchilla
Hermit Crabs
Dog


We also have a back-up list who we will reach out to if we get items these kids can't use, or we get enough gifts to be able to share. NOTHING you give will go to waste. There are families counting on us who will literally have NO Christmas beyond what we bring.

If items are left over, they will be donated to The Unforgotten Haven after the holiday or we will store them for use next year. 

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Our family (Kristie or Justin) will pick up (or you can drop off in Voorhees). *NEW OR GENTLY USED* ITEMS. We still need NEW toys & clothing items at this point, but gently used items in good clean condition (especially used clothes) are still very much helpful. Used toys are great, so long as all the parts are together and they are in working condition.

*** If you can DROP OFF donated items; ***
You can drop-off items at 1103 Hudson Ave in Voorhees NJ 08043. My parents are home to bring items in throughout the day, even if I'm running around doing pickups. There's a cream-colored freshly painted wooden bench by the front door to put items in...large items can be left beside the bench. No need to ring the bell unless you need help.

(Just let us know you've dropped off by texting Kristie at (856) [phone redacted]!)

Here's some that we NEED BADLY; 

 The BEST items to buy / Things nearly every family wants & needs :

✅ Batteries of every size and type!

✅ Arts & Crafting supplies: Packages of paper, Sketch books, Journals, adult coloring books, New packages of Sharpie Markers, Crayola products, Colored pencils, Acrylic paints, Paint Brushes. Packages of Construction or plain paper. Stamps, Stickers and any kind of Crafting kits. (great gifts for many kids, teens and adults)

✅Body Products for both boys and girls (Ax products and product kits are still popular for the guys - literally anything from Bath and Body works is great for the ladies!)

✅ New or Gently-used Board Games (Please be sure to check that games that are not new are actually complete, and then please make sure the box is secured so they don't open in transport and end up everywhere.) Decks of cards and other popular card games (Like "Cards Against Humanity", "Exploding Kittens", Uno & more are great for the entire family to play together, regardless of ages)

✅ Toys, Dolls, Action-Figures, Clothing, Accesories, Bath and Body Products, Board Games or literally ANYTHING else based on any of these themes:

✅ Minecraft  ✅ My Little Pony ✅ Disney / Disney Princess (Esp. Moana) ✅ Doc McStuffins
✅ Paw Patrol ✅ Build-A-Bear ✅ American Girl Dolls ✅ Lego / Lego Batman -Barbie ✅ Fur-Real pets - ✅ 
Power Rangers ✅ Star Wars ✅ LOL Dolls & LOL Surprise Balls ✅ Mario / Nintendo Characters


✅ Hatchimals Glitter or Hatchimals Surprise

✅  Fingerlings

✅ Imaginext playsets, especially super heros like Batman, Spiderman, etc

✅  Nerf anything.

✅ Matchbox & Hot Wheels cars, tracks and playsets

✅Barbies, Barbie dolls, clothing and accesories

✅ Shopkins sets, blind-boxes, etc.

✅  DVDS - Classic movies, comedies and kids movies (Especially Disney movies). We've had multiple requests for Moana and the Lego Batman Movie especially, as well as the Cars movies

✅  Soft small blankets & throws (These were especially popular and both the kids and adults were VERY excited about them.)

✅  Soft/fuzzy pajama pants were all big hits with kids and adults of all ages.

✅ Candles (Especially decorative or jar candles) & Air-freshner products (Like Scentsy, Warmers, Glade plug-ins, etc etc)

✅  Pet-Gifts (for the pets belonging to the families who need them- Pet food, dog toys, cat treats, Dog bones, etc etc etc)

✅  Lego brand building sets - Children and adults of both sexes have requested Lego sets. They are one toy that no one outgrows and most families keep and many people grow up and hand down to THEIR kids. Lego sets are one of the most popular items requested.

✅  Hats, gloves & other winter items. (Last year the families loved that someone donated two dozen BEAUTIFUL handmade knit hats they had made that were cool, funky tye-dye colors - they were a huge hit. I was given one of these hats as well, and I wear it all winter long!)

✅ Make-up & Make-up brushes: (We need both the products designed for teens & adults as well as the cute "play make-up" kits aimed at younger kids with peel-off nail polish, make-your-own nail polish and eye shadows. Individual items were popular requests including concealer, compacts, mascara, eye shadows & eye shadow pallets. Chapsticks, lip glosses, nail polish, nail stickers and nail polish kits as well as polish-remover and polish remover pads are very popular. Also, make-up removers, face-wash). Several families reported that their daughters were INCREDIBLY excited about the make-up products they received. Also great are any kind of Facial treatments, skin masks, spa kits, etc.

✅ Pajama sets and fuzzy/soft pajama pants

✅ Socks

✅ Science kits



Here's some of the new or gently used items we need badly:

Baby Supplies;

-Baby Food, Diapers & Wipes, Formula- all brands and types - as long as its new/unopened and non-expired
- Baby Books (soft, new & gently used)
- Baby Toys ( New & Like-New Only Please)


Things we still have a significant amount of from last year (These are things we DONT need at this time):


- Colouring books / Activity Books - We still have several cases full from last year. (We could still use some Christmas themed coloring / work books, but we have a HUGE number of character themed books for kids of all ages. We do, however, definitely need more of the colouring books aimed at teens & adults- those we didn't have enough of last year.)

- Small dollar-store type items for stocking stuffers. We have a TON (literally, three huge bags still).

- Play-doh or Slime toys

- Stuffed animals (Some exceptions - While we still have an abundance of SOME types of stuffed animals - We absolutely DO need more Build-a-Bear brand animals & accessories, Paw Patrol animals, Minecraft stuffed animals, Disney-characters, My Little Pony, Pokemon.)

We also have requests for NEW stuffed animals that are infant-safe for many of the babies and toddlers on the list. Baby-safe stuffed animals

- Puzzles. We still have an incredible amount of puzzles from last year, and I think every family that we served got at LEAST two puzzles. :-)



***MOST IMPORTANTLY: We need wrapping paper, gift tags, gift bags, scotch tape, gift boxes & Christmas cards for each of the families we help. If every donor chips in just ONE roll of tape and wrapping paper, we will have PLENTY to go around by delivery time!

Not every family needs our help with decor and holiday supplies, but many families are coming from a situation in which they lost their home or were forced to move suddenly and without many of their belongings. It must be particularly difficult to start over when you don't have sentimental items at the holidays - so we work with families that need these items to help them prepare ahead of the holiday.

We communicate with the families to find out what they might need and then we work to deliver the trees, lights, ornaments, decor and other Christmas items well in advance of the other deliveries so that these families may have time to set up and enjoy their decorated homes and feel as normal as possible as we get closer to the actual holiday.


Needed Holiday Supplies:

- Christmas Decorations for the home (If anything is fragile, please mark it and protect it- we will be sorting and moving a LOT of things and don't want anything to get crushed, broken or ruined.)

- Christmas Lights (new or used in good condition).

- Christmas tree decorations & ornaments - new, used, etc - We usually go to local thrift stores to find collections of ornaments for the families that need them. Tree toppers as well. The families who requested ornaments were thrilled to get a collection of various things - both plain coloured balls and lots of ornaments that ranged from vintage and handmade ornaments, to modern, cute ornaments of popular kids characters. All the ornaments we collected were REALLY cherished and the families said they will be keeping and bringing them out year after year to remember their special Christmas with our help). We welcome handmade ornaments if your kids want to make some!

- Smaller Household Christmas decor in good condition (for Indoor & Outdoor)

- Christmas signage or wreathes

- Christmas Stockings

-Christmas cards & Stamps

- Artificial Christmas trees (whatever size)

- Elf on the Shelf w/ Book

(Remember- some families that we help have lost everything and have NOTHING - they may be starting over and may have nothing to decorate for the holidays. The families last year were thrilled to get a mixture of plain coloured balls and fun ornaments that we sourced from thrift stores - we were able to find lots of great things for very low prices.).


For their Homes:

- Holiday Wrapping Paper, Scotch Tape, Gift Bags, bows,ribbon, gift tags, gift boxes. (We needs LOTS of these supplies!) Boxes of Christmas cards (People in need like to write out cards and could use stamps too!)

-(Only NEW) Toiletries (please)- Soap, Shampoo, Lotion, Makeup,boxes of Tissues, Paper Towels, T. P., Toothbrushs & Toothpaste, Feminine Products, Makeup Brushes & Makeup Kits, Face-wash and Acne Products, Nail Polish- remember,we get lots of pre-teen and teens!) Baby shampoo & wash

- Household Cleaning Products: Sponges, Laundry detergent, Dish detergent, Household cleaning supplies like Windex, Clorox, Tilex, Lysol, Windex, etc etc)

- Paper Products: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Napkins, Paper Plates, etc.

-Feminine Hygiene Products - Pads, Tampons, Liners, etc. *These are requested by nearly every family and are a huge help*


-Gift sets & Gift Baskets especially candles, lotions and other small, common gift-basket type items are very useful and serve multiple purposes. Remember, many of the families in need don't have the ability to buy gifts for their loved ones, their kids teachers, etc - so they may receive items that they in turn, use to give to others. Small but nice pre-packaged items from Bath & Body Works, a candy shop, or any of the common gift-packages that are seen in Walmart

Walmart has a wide-range of themed gift kits and gift baskets that are generally under $20 - such as Makeup & Food-themed baskets (Things like Hot Chocolate kits, Ice Cream Sundae sets, Beef Jerky, Hot Sauces, etc etc.) and these can really be great ideas that can be used for a WIDE range of recipients.

With these donations- many of the parents are able to receive something small for themselves, or choose to use these gifts for people in their lives they wouldn't otherwise be able to give anything to. Another very helpful thing we help families with, is Christmas cards and stamps. Last year, several of the families sent us thank you cards - and many of the families were delighted to be able to help their kids right a Christmas card to Grandma and Grandpa, or their friends.


Food Items:

- Candy and Holiday related foods for the kids' stockings are really helpful.

- Single-serve packs of snack type foods are really helpful - things the parents can send to school with their kids, or use as after-school snacks. They are also nice because we can open bigger packages (from Sams Club, etc) and share them among several families.

- Soups, canned veggies, cereal - Anything that is donated must be shelf stable and not-expired please.

- Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolates & Related Supplies

- Baking Supplies - Baking is one of those things that makes great gifts, great holiday memories, and unfortunately, isn't inexpensive. Even if we use packages or pre-packed mixes, things like cupcakes, cookies and all the fixings - icing, sprinkles, cupcake wrappers, etc - they are all great things that the families can use to enjoy the holidays together. Boxed cake mix, brownie mix and cookie mixes are great for giving families something they can create together.


- Christmas Dinner (We will make exceptions to store Ham or Turkeys if anyone would like to donate them. We were offered freezer space for storage of those, you just need to make arrangements so we can arrange to transport them safely. We also need canned veggies for the holiday meal (cranberry sauce, gravy, corn and other canned veggies) Boxes of Stuffing. We will also make the BEST use of Gift cards for Walmart or grocery stores. We may give a family a gift card for food - or we may use the gift cards to shop for the best deals on things we need to help fill-in-the-blanks between the items wed have donated and what we still need. If you have a gift-card leftover from someplace you don't plan on using - or a card with just a few bucks left on it - we'd be just as happy to have that to put towards the family's needs.




Bigger / More Expensive Items - Items that would be Gifts for the entire Family, Etc Etc.

These are all items that are wonderful - but no one expects them. Last year, an anonymous donor gave us the okay to go out and purchase three pairs of Ugg boots, specifically the ones the girls on the list would request. Most of the kids from the families we're helping are not expecting anything like these big-ticket items.

What we found however, was that over the past few years, we've been fortunate enough to find multiple families who had a new or gently used item that they didn't need... for example, maybe a local family has a gaming system that is only a year or two old and still in perfect condition - but maybe they just find that their kids aren't playing it anymore.

Thanks to the help of everyone last year, we were able to give away several new and gently used bicycles, a Wii system and thirteen games. We were able to give away DVD & BlueRay players to more than one family, and brand new Nike sneakers to another. We were able to give a half dozen bicycles, both new and gently used to multiple families as well.

If we have a volunteer who is wanting to help us by purchasing a specific item, please contact Kristie by text at [phone redacted], so she can let you know what "wish list" items we're still trying to find. We will look at all the donations we have - at what we have set aside for each child in each family. We make a concentrated effort to make sure that each child in a family gets a fairly equal number of gifts (in volume and value) and sometimes, one particular child is harder to shop for - so we're happy to help give you ideas or to let you know what items would REALLY be a big help. You're always welcome to chip in for the project and we'll shop for it - or we'll match the donor up and let you know what item would go a long way towards fulfilling our goal.

Several of the teens and adults on the list are not expecting much of anything - they know better than the younger children that their families are struggling. This is one of the things that becomes all the more sweet when we are actually able to fulfill their one big "wish list" items. Sure, that one wish-list item is more expensive, but that one gift can make a child or adult's entire Christmas and is so very appreciated and meaningful because it's a true Christmas miracle when things come together. And remember - while a fancy pair of Ugg-boots or Nikes, or a gaming system or laptop is an expensive item - when your family has less, these items are cherished, loved, well cared-for and the item will get a ton of use and can go a long way towards making a person's entire holiday seem magical.

We let the families know that these items are unlikely to be filled- but that we will do our best to look for the items and if we can get them, we absolutely will. If you can fulfill one of these wish-list items, please let us know - we REALLY appreciate your willingness to help and your generosity.


Wish List Items:

- New or Gently Used Cell phones or phone cards for pre-paid plans especially newer Android and Apple devices.
In this day and age - EVERYONE needs a cell phone. Teenagers can't apply for jobs and have trouble keeping in touch with their parents, and parents absolutely need a cell phone for everything from email and job applications, to being able to track down their children when they aren't at home. While some of the families have a parent with a phone, some are unable to access the internet because they can't afford network services, and others are out of minuets / unable to text. We will do our best to communicate with the families to put any cell-related gifts to use. Gift cards for any of the major networks would also be VERY helpful.

- Ipads (any size, any generation), Ipad / Apple chargers

- Android tablets (Samsung, LG, Galaxy, etc)

- Digital Cameras (Used is fine, but newer models - anything over 8 megapixel). If the camera is used, please make sure it's got the battery pack (if it doesn't take batteries) or any charging or data cables if it doesn't take standard USB / Micro USB / Micro SD or SD cards

- SD cards or USB storage

- Standalone hard drives (great for teens wanting to store games or music, or to help families back up their current older-devices including family photos, etc)

​- Flat-screen Tvs (It doesn't matter the size. If you upgraded and got yourself something newer or bigger for black Friday - why not give your older (but still great) TV to a family who could really use it? Families with multiple kids benefit from an extra tv - one where a gaming system can be set up. Even small TVs are great- they can be used as a computer monitor if need be, or they work well for an older child or teen to have their own TV in their room. Many kids and teens would he thrilled to have their own tv no matter what size it is.

​- New or Gently Used Ugg Boots in all sizes are always a popular special request. Some of the older teen girls we've helped both in years past and currently, have requested that they would be happy to have their only gift be a nice pair of Uggs. Our family personally donated six pairs in assorted sizes that are very gently used and look very much Like-New. Last year, this was a huge thing and the families said their daughters were shocked and thrilled to receive such an awesome item.

- Name-brand Sneakers - much like Uggs were a common request for the teen and pre-teen girls, most of the teen boys requested one nice pair of sneakers. We welcome gently used items - most of the families said their kids definitely need shoes and boots, but the kids absolutely appreciate a pair of popular sneakers; Nike, New Balance, Adidas, Converse, Doc Martens / Airwear, etc.

- American Girl Dolls, clothing and accessories - Gently used American-girl dolls, as well as their clothing and accessories, doll beds and more were another very popular item for the girls we've helped. We will speak to the parents - if a child already has a doll that is this size for example, we will help to get them outfits and accessories. If a child really wants a doll, we are often able to seek out second-hand and gently used ones online, and last year we were even able to find a second-hand doll on Ebay that looked like the child we were helping, and it was a very big deal for the family.

- Video Game Systems & Video Games: Any Games, controllers and accessories for any of the more current systems Wii, Wii-U, Playstation 4, X Box One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3 DS

- Any of the Retro gaming consoles - Sega Genesis, Atari Classic, Ninendo Retro Classic NES or Super Nintendo Retro
(All of these systems are self-contained and include 50-100 games.)


http://www.evansfamilylegoproject.com/project-christmas.html


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Last Year:  https://funds.gofundme.com/dashboard/ChristmasforNJKids/


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We will deliver everything to the families on the 23rd and 24th (Christmas Eve) like we did with the families we helped last year.

Everyone who helps us with this, we will update toy with pics via text of all the things we've collected and pics of the kids enjoying their Christmas.

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We want you to have faith in what we're doing; I am not a registered 501(c)3, we aren't a charity that does this year 'round.... I UNDERSTAND your skepticism this time of year, and rightfully so. I'm a 34 year old retired disabled police officer. I certainly understand your everyone's desire to be careful of scams, *especially* around the holidays. Even if you don't want to help us, please DO be careful.

Having been a police officer, I understand that you want to be confident that you're really helping REAL PEOPLE. Please reach out- You can speak to me by phone about any of this, I am going to be VERY VERY busy, and I can not talk or text while driving, but I will answer any questions anyone has, and we have plenty of references who helped us last year!

The family we helped last year is also happy to act as a reference. I've bought Lego for my sons project from **hundreds of families** on these local yard sale groups, never having had a problem with anyone.

(Just FYI- I do not accept friend requests on my personal facebook only because I openly discuss my medical issues with family on there.... but I welcome EVERYONE to follow our Facebook page that I used to connect to the world, and learn more about our family, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (which my son and I have) as well as this Christmas Miracle project by following our public Facebook page, our family Instagram and our website and Blog at any of these links;

Http://www.facebook.com/evansfamilylegoproject
Http://www.evansfamilylegoproject.com
Http://www.Instagram.com/evansfamilylegoproject

IF YOU ARE BUYING, SELLING OR GIVING anything TO anyone, especially this time of year, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE meet them in a ** WELL LIT PUBLIC PLACE **, like the parking lot of a local police department. Please, lock your doors, hide shopping bags in your trunk, never leave keys or money in your car, and be ALERT and AWARE at all times...lastly, hug your loved ones. Having been a police officer for many years, I'm sadly all too aware that suicide this time of year is exceptionally tragic and unfortunately extremely common.

Thanks you SO VERY MUCH for sharing and contributing,
Kristie, Justin and Kaedin, aka, the Evans Family

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