Help with Christmas!

Try the Merrick Communities in St.Paul. My work donates hundreds of toys there yearly and they always help sponsor families. Good Luck.

H., I work part time with a company that is looking for great people looking to make extra money. There is flexibility with working from home and in the office. The average part time rep can make $500 - $1500 for 8 - 10 hours a week. Feel free to contact me and I can fill you in more on the position and stuff. It's a great environment and you might learn a ton too!

I also know that our office is hosting families with Turkey Dinners this Christmas. We may be able to help!!

Are their any expenses that you think you can cut like cell phone, internet, cable? Is the Dad around? I was thinking that if you were not together that maybe you can get child support. I'm not sure if you get that or not. It sounds like the father is there but not working. Can he pick up a part-time or full-time job? Are you crafty? Maybe make some pinecone baskets, wreaths, if you sew you can make custom overalls for children, bracelets? You can sell them on Craigs list or E-bay.

Sorry for the derailing in this first part, but I'm trying to find alternatives for you without having the humiliation of having to get donations.

I'm not sure of programs as I never had to use them but maybe the Red Cross, a local church, or contact the news station. Maybe they will get help for you or direct you as to where you need to go.

As far as clothing I have many items that I can ship to you, arrange a public location, or drop at Salem Lutheran office for you to pick up. I have clothing that I saved from my 3 year old that I can sift through for your 1 year old. Let me know if you are interested and way of getting them to you.

I hope this information helped. I'm sorry to hear you are going through a rough time.

I would try calling the CAP agency in St. Paul and see if they know of how you can get help. I know there is a CAP agency in Shakopee and they have alot of refrences and have groups that can help you out.

I hope that everything works out for you and your kids and I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas!!

There was an article in the local newspaper two weeks ago about sponsoring families for the holidays. It said that there is still time to register for holiday support (or to donate). Gifts are picked up on Saturday Dec. 15 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mound. If you are interested contact Jessie at WeCan at ###-###-####.

H., It is never easy to admit you may need a little help. Please do not ever feel ashamed. Many hard working people need help from time to time. I believe you are in Dakota County. The CAC(community action council) in Dakota county has a program called armful of love that helps get presents for families who are unable to purchase them. I am not sure how soon you needed to sign up for this or if you can still get help from them but worth checking into. Their website is www.communityactioncouncil.org. You should be able to find a phone #. I also know alot of churches this time of year collect gifts for certain programs. I am not familiar with the churches in your area but you could check with ones in your neighborhood also. God bless you and your family this Christmas season.

you should talk to your ped doc because they are good at helping with that kind of stuff I know because mine is helping me out this year too

It seems you've gotten some good resources to look into from other responders. Don't wait though, I've heard of others that waited too long and weren't able to get the support they could have used.

You'd be surprised how few gifts it takes to make Christmas seem special to children - especially if they are not used to lots of presents every year.

What about gifts of fruit(a bag of oranges and apples under the tree or in stockings - I hear that is a standing tradition in many families), granola bars, fruit snacks. You'd be surprised what kind of "treasures" you can find at the dollar store. If possible, the kids to shop for each other or for something for you there, then wrap in the sunday comics or coloring pages.

The tradition of reading a Christms book or story together will forever be a gift they will remember if you make it a tradition. Your 8 year old can help reading. Check out Once Upon a Child for recycled books, toys and clothing in good condition.

How about finding something to bake together for dinner or dessert?
Don't write off the gift of spending time together. Though they may not be able to express their appreciation right now, that is what they will remember when they are older. I can't remember any one special gift when I was growing up, other than the year me and my two sisters all got cabbage patch kids. What I do remember is baking with my mom, cutting wood each fall as a family, driving around to look at everyone else's christmas lights (we do this now with our boys 2 & 4), and playing games or cards together - I've discovered those were the best gifts!

I hope you are able to get some assistance with gifts, food, and covering your basic expenses. Yet remember you can offer your children even more with your love, hugs, time and care that money cannot provide.

Blessings to you and your family,
J.

Here are some thoughts for you. I am a social worker and this is where I would start...First, you might want to check into your county to see what sort of programs you may qualify for. Maybe it is grocery assistance, help with utilities, etc. Just google your county in MN and there will be a link to financial assistance. This may be the boost you need to get your finances on the right track. You also may want to contact your local YMCA or YWCA, they have a scholarship program and it would something fun for all of your kids to do and childcare for you too. Contact the Salvation Army, you can find number online. Also look at site for Toys for Tots. If you are involved with a church they can be very helpful too in helping to provide for your family at the holidays. Churches set aside funds for different congregational needs such as this. Also, look into your local food shelf, also available by searching online or by contacting you county for list of numbers. (or 411 for United Way). This could help you with grocery assistance for awhile to get you on your feet. Just an idea too...we do 3 gifts for our children and that is it. We do more traditions for Christmas, reading a special book to the kids on Christmas Eve and waking up to homemade caramel rolls, etc. The 3 gifts are not large items, 1 from mom and dad, 1 from Santa, and 1 from brothers and sisters. We also have everyone open a new set of "Christmas pajamas" on Christmas Eve so they can wake up in new pj's on Christmas morning. There are many charities out there to help provide you all with a special Christmas. Another thing you might think about is giving back at Christmas time such as helping serve in a homeless shelter to help your kids see how blessed they are to have a family that is together, a roof over their heads, etc. God bless you and your family!

My family and I just signed up to sponsor a family through Catholic Charities. I don't know how it works, but you can give them a call. I believe the website is sponsorafamily.org. Good luck. I will say a prayer for you and your children. It sounds like you are doing so much already for your children and it will payoff someday. You may not see it now, but sometime in the future you will see the benefits.

I can empathize. My daughter has a public health nurse through the county, so she lets us know a lot about programs in the county and area. You might want to talk to a social worker in the county. You don't have to have a social worker to talk with one and get input on county programs. They can also tell you some churches that sponsor families for christmas. I hope this helps. Your children probably won't be as disappointed as you think they will. They know you love them, give them some memories. Do a christmas craft with them one night; cookies, ornaments, a christmas angel or even putting their name on a stocking with fabric paint. If I can be of anymore help, let me know I'd be happy too.

H. I am sorry to hear about the hard times that you & your family are having. The holidays bring out the added stress. Neighbors in South ST. Paul is a great organization that helps families in need. My company usually adopts a few families that sign up & we donate items to the family. It is all confidential we don't know last names or anything. We do get to know the kids sizes & what they would like for christmas. Here is the info right off Neighbors web-site to sign up. Please let me know if you need more info. Hope this helps make your holidays a little brighter.
Come to Neighbors Nov. 1 – Dec. 13 (M-F, 8:45 – 11:30am or 1:15 – 4pm).
To sign-up you must bring:

Photo ID

Address Verification (that matches the name on the ID)

Current utility bill (phone, gas, electric)

OR statement from Dakota County

Income verification for last 30 days for all members of household

Check stubs

OR bank statement

OR Dakota County income statement

Hey H.!

My name is S. and I work at a Womens Shelter. We deal with many programs for our clients. I do not go to work uintil tuesday but I will check into come of the places. I cannot think of any off the top of my head. We do have a list at work for people who call in wondering the same things.