Operation Christmas Spirit Family "Adoptions" 2020

The best way to spread Christmas JOY, is helping a military girl or BOY!
Okay, so we're not poets, but we do know a lot about spreading the ​Spirit of Christmas through our Operation Christmas Spirit program!

UPDATE 12/5: Thank you to all the generous donors who have adopted families thus far, all of our original families  have been taken care of for 2020. We are working our way through our wait list right now, but with slow mail pick ups quickly approaching, we are shifting gears to
​ONLINE DONATIONS and GIFT CARDS. 
Send e-gift card donations to:  
Cindy at cfarnum@operationhelpahero.org to be used for families who reach out later in the season. 

Mail gift cards or checks to: 
Operation Help a Hero
26247 Enterprise Ct.
Lake Forest, Ca 92630

 Operation Christmas Spirit, going 17 years strong, is comprised of family "adoptions," single service member gifts, unit Christmas party support, volunteer opportunities, and toy collections for children of service members. Hands down, the focus and most important piece of this project is our family "adoption" program.  Families are vetted through unit nominations and/or applications for Christmas assistance. Once a family is approved for the program, they fill out a family wish list.  These wish lists are shared only with the donor(s) we pair them with to make their Christmas wishes come true. ​
This year, DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THINGS WILL LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT. 
  • WE ARE CLOSING OUT ADOPTION SIGN UPS EARLIER THAN USUAL TO ALLOW FOR TIME TO SAFELY COORDINATE GIFT PICK UP EVENTS AND GIVE FAMILIES EXTRA TIME TO PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS.
  • WE ARE ADJUSTING OUR WISH LISTS/GOALS FOR EACH FAMILY TO MEET NEEDS DURING THIS CHALLENGING TIME (SEE BELOW).
  • WE ARE OFFERING MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED  AND OPTIONS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO PROVIDE "CONTACTLESS" HELP.
  • WE ARE HOSTING "DRIVE THRU" PICK UP EVENTS TO MEET BASE, LOCAL AND STATE REQUIREMENTS AND KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.​​​

This Year's Timeline

Kick Off
November 15th
Wish Lists Distributed
November 15th (for those who register by Nov 10th)

November 25th (for those who register Nov 11th-24th)

Within 5 days of registration (for those who register Nov. 25th-Dec 1st​)
Deadlines for mailed/shipped gifts
December 10th (SoCal &  Tampa  )
December 12th (NC, San Antonio, DC Metro)
December 14th (Colorado)
Drop off dates
December 10th-17th (by location)
Gift pick up events for families
December 12th-18th (by location)
Important to know: 
  • Wish lists we provide "adopters" include gift ideas for each family member, needs, hobbies, sizes, and more.
  • Gifts are dropped or mailed to our volunteers who help organize and coordinate gift pick ups with families.
  • We do NOT arrange for personal drop offs to families to protect their privacy and yours.  Most families write cards and make contact with donors after Christmas in thanks, but with years of experience doing this, we know that the overwhelming majority of families prefer a private pick up. 
  • We do NOT take requests to find families in areas outside of our hub areas. We MAY end up having families in your area participate, but because families out of our hub areas apply for Christmas assistance, we go with families where the help is needed. We are amazed each year by how the Spirit of Christmas brings people even in the most remote areas together (the stories we could tell!), but we can't predict where needs will be this early.