• Organizations in Woodstock, VA and throughout the country provide Christmas gifts for needy children.thank you image by Kelly Kane from Fotolia.com
  
  Christmas is a time for giving, and if you have the resources to share gifts with others, no recipient is more deserving than a child. Each year, city communities across the country provide gifts to children from low income households, those who are ill and those who have parents in jail, and Woodstock, Virginia is one such city. With a median household income of $45,643 and an unemployment below the national average at only 2.1 percent according to City-data.com statistics. If you live in Woodstock, there are a number of organizations to donate to; some national and some unique to the area.
  
  

Christmas Wish List

• Shenandoah County's Christmas Wish List program sponsors local families whose parents cannot afford Christmas presents for one another and their children. If you'd like to be a Christmas Wish List donor, contact Shenandoah County Social Services to receive a written profile of a family chosen for the program. Each family member's age and clothing size is listed, as well as gift suggestions. Sponsoring an entire family gives children and parents the opportunity to open gifts together. You can volunteer on your own, with your family or with your office colleagues.
  
  Shenandoah County
  
  Department of Social Services
  
  600 North Main Street, Suite 108
  
  Woodstock, VA 22664
  
  540-459-6226
  
  shenandoahcountyva.us/social/
  
  

Angel Tree

• The First Baptist Church of Woodstock is part of the national network of churches which participates in the Angel Tree Christmas program. Angel Tree is run by Prison Fellowship Ministries, which is a Christian charity which raises money for year-round programs to benefit children with incarcerated parents. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, church members pick angel ornaments from a miniature tree. Each ornament has written on it the name, age and gift wish of a local child with one or two parents in prison. If you'd like to help shape a troubled child's future, contact First Baptist Church to donate to Angel Tree. Its founders believe that showing compassion and support to children whose parents are in jail will keep them from ending up there. The goal is to to "rescue a generation on the verge of being lost to crime," according to Angel Tree's Website.
  
  First Baptist Church of Woodstock
  
  116 Lakeview Drive
  
  Woodstock, VA 22664
  
  540-459-3000
  
  fbc-woodstock.org/
  
  Angel Tree
  
  1-800-55-ANGEL
  
  angeltree.org/angeltree-home
  
  

Salvation Army

• Another way to sponsor a family in need is through the Salvation Army's Adopt a Family program. If you choose to donate through this program, you can provide more than just gifts. Families who apply are often referred by social workers and evaluated based on their needs. Your gifts could be anything from clothing for the family members, food to last a few days or money to go towards utility payments. To provide gifts for the children, volunteers set up trees in public areas with angel tags, similar to the Prison Fellowship Ministry. Each angel has the name, age and gift wish of a child from one of the families being sponsored that year. Donations to the Salvation Army are need-based and benefit families and children outside the city of Woodstock. The nearest office is in Front Royal.
  
  Salvation Army
  
  357 Cloud Street
  
  Front Royal, VA 22630
  
  540-635-4020
  
  front-royal-va.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/default.asp
  
  

Make A Wish

• If you'd like to help a sick child, the Make a Wish Foundation benefits children with terminal diseases throughout the year, with special efforts at Christmas time, by granting elaborate wishes such as trips to exotic locations and meetings with celebrity role models. Rather than gifts, donations to this charity are usually monetary, and can be made online to benefit children across the country, or at business locations that raise awareness for local children's wishes. The local office for northern Virginia counties is located in Sterling. Also online, you can apply for the program if you have a child or know a family with a child who is terminally ill.
  
  Make A Wish Foundation
  
  45064 Underwood Lane, Suite 250
  
  Sterling, VA 20166
  
  571-292-9474
  
  wish.org/about
  
  

Toys for Tots

• Run by the US Marine Corps Reserve, the Toys for Tots program collects new toys for children in need in communities throughout the country. Last year, Toys for Tots collected 16.4 unused toys for 7.4 million children. If you live in Woodstock, the closest campaign office is in Front Royal. While most of the toy collection efforts occur from October through December of each year, the campaign raises money through out the year, through fundraisers such as golf outings. According to the foundation's Website, its goals are to unite communities and to "play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources--our children."
  
  Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
  
  Clear Brook/Front Royal, VA 22630
  
  540-635-5754
  
  front-royal-va.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/local-contact-us.asp