“Christmas for Kids” was the vision of one of Innisfil’s public school principals who asked one of the parents if she would start a Christmas program for Innisfil.   The  schools in Innisfil have many children  who  could  use help  at  Christmas  and  they  wanted  the  food and toys collected in the local schools to go to Innisfil families. Very quickly the local churches  came on board; the United Churches in Gilford and Churchill and the Anglican Churches in Churchill and Cookstown.

We also work with the Innisfil Community Church and the Innisfil Food Bank.  Initially  the  program  was called  “Adopt  a  family”,  but  as  the  program grew it was time to have an official name.  In 2005, a naming contest was held and the Gilford United Church Sunday School came up with the name “Christmas for Kids”. In January 2012, “Christmas for Kids” became a registered charity. We thought the name should reflect  that  we  help  families  all  year  round and  so  we  were  registered  under  the  name “Christmas for Kids” (all year round).

Christmas for Kids helps Innisfil families at Christmas by providing them with:

• Turkey
• Food (enough to last over the holidays)
• A small gift certificate to buy perishables for Christmas Dinner
• Gifts for each child. We try to give gifts geared to the child’s interests.

 We know that Christmas can be a stressful time for families if they have limited financial resources.  We try to take the pressure off families. All of our clients are treated with respect; all information is kept confidential.  Innisfil has many generous residents who want to help at Christmas.