The Winter Wishes for Kids and Families program fulfills the wishes of thousands of disadvantaged children, teens, and families from shelters and community organizations throughout New York City, many of whom would not otherwise receive gifts during the holidays.

We collect and screen more than 32,000 gift requests and send them to volunteers who purchase, wrap, and send the gifts to them.

At this time, all Winter Wishes have been answered. Click here if you are interested in donating toys.

Registration – Please apply as soon as possible and no later than Wednesday, November 25, to ensure that every person who writes a letter gets a gift.

Receipt of Gifts Requests – We will mail gift request letters to you within one to two weeks, or you can pick them up as soon as we get your request.

Gift Delivery – The community organizations we work with often plan holiday parties to deliver the gifts, so delivery information varies. The delivery date will be included in each letter, but in most cases it is early December. Send your gifts to the addresses indicated on the letters and include the recipients' names and tracking numbers.

You will receive a letter that contains a specific gift request — gifts typically cost $40 or less before shipping costs. Please purchase the item requested in the letter, or, if the gift is difficult to find, you can select one of your own choosing. Look at our suggested gift lists for children or adults and teens for ideas.

Sometimes letters will include requests for gifts that are more than $40 or gifts that are difficult to purchase. In this case, you can refer to the suggested gift lists for children or adults and teens for other gift ideas. There is no appropriate minimum or maximum spending amount for gifts. Spend whatever you feel comfortable with.

Each letter comes labeled with the name and tracking number of the individual who wrote it and the name and number of a contact person at the community organization with which they are affiliated. You can reach out to this person with questions about sizes, ethnicity, color preferences, etc.

Your letter will include the recipient's name, delivery address, and the delivery date. Please send wrapped gifts and write the recipients' full name and tracking numbers on the outside of the wrapping paper.

Ordering Gifts Online? Include the recipient's name and tracking number in the shipping information. Our partner organizations will receive gifts from many different sources and need to be able to identify the recipient. Please remember to include gift wrapping for gifts purchased online.