Up to $250 toward Christmas for each child, so the gifts under the tree come from Mom or Dad.
For children 17 and under in January 6 families who are going through a hard stretch right now. Applications open October 26 and close December 11. We review them every week and help families as they are approved, with the last awards out by December 16.
Every award depends on what donors give. The toy drive is paid for only by gifts made to it – not out of the Foundation’s other programs. Sending in an application does not guarantee a child will receive anything. When the money runs out, the drive closes, and every family still waiting will hear that from us directly.
The pardons came on January 20, 2025. They did not give anyone back the job they lost, the house they sold to pay lawyers, or the years a parent spent in a facility three states away.
A lot of these kids are being raised right now by a grandparent, an aunt, or the other parent while Mom or Dad rebuilds. Some families are still behind on rent and car payments almost two years later. Christmas is when that shows the most.
So this year, for the first time, we are putting Christmas in the hands of as many of these families as our donors will cover. Each child can receive up to $250 toward Christmas, and the parent gets to be the one who gives the gifts. For a father who just came home, that part may matter more than anything in the box.
You can apply if all three of these are true:
The person who applies is whoever is raising the child. That can be the defendant, the other parent, or a grandparent. Help goes only to that person, at the address on the application.
What to send: the application, a few sentences in your own words about what your family is dealing with, and one document – proof a parent is incarcerated, on supervision, or released in the last 24 months; a SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, WIC, or school lunch letter; a job loss notice from the last 12 months; or proof of income at or below 200% of the poverty line. We do not need tax returns.
START THE APPLICATIONRather use paper? Download the printable application and email it with your document to info@standinthegap.foundation, subject “Toy Drive Application – [Your Last Name].” Apply early – we approve families every week. Last day: Friday, December 11, 11:59 p.m. Central.
We don’t wait for the deadline. Applications are reviewed every week, and approved families hear from us that week – so the sooner you apply, the sooner you hear.
About ten minutes. Have your case number and one hardship document handy – a phone photo of it is fine. Applications are reviewed every week. Last day: Friday, December 11, 11:59 p.m. Central.
Who goes first. If the money runs short, children with a parent in custody right now are served first, then children with a parent who came home in the last 24 months, then everyone else in the order complete applications came in. That order is set now, before the first application arrives, and it is the same for every family.
How the help gets to you. It goes only to the person who applied, at the address on the application. No cash, no checks, no wires. Every award is logged – the amount, the date, and the family it went to – and the caregiver signs a short receipt. That paper trail is what lets us look a donor in the eye.
How much. Up to $250 a child. Each household is capped at $750, so that more families can be reached.
Your children’s information. Names and ages are seen only by the few people who review applications and handle the awards. Hardship documents are deleted 90 days after the drive closes. We never share a child’s photo, face, or full name, and we never tell a family’s story without the parent’s written permission.
People who work with us. Some J6 parents also volunteer or work with the Foundation. They can apply like anyone else, but someone with no connection to their family makes the decision.
Most of these children did nothing but grow up while their parent was gone. Every one we approve can get up to $250 toward Christmas. Help us get to all of them.
GIVE TO THE TOY DRIVE