Holiday Assistance

People living in poverty have strong feelings of marginality, helplessness, and not belonging. It is a human instinct to want to fit in, and children figure this out very early on in life. In fact, having a sense of belonging is an essential component of social emotional development. Around the holiday season, children living in poverty may not celebrate the holidays or receive gifts like their peers do, and they wonder why. This becomes very isolating at an early age, which can lead to social emotional issues, including aggression.

Our classrooms use the Holiday Assistance as a learning opportunity to teach students about the importance of giving by participating in food drive, providing activities, and sharing stories about how children celebrate the holidays at home.

Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center provides holiday assistance to our families in need, so every child feels that they belong and have positive self-esteem.

Our Services

  • Thanksgiving Assistance

    Each year, Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center provides Thanksgiving meals to HWCEC families that need a little support during the holiday season. Each classroom collects donations for a specific item (like green beans) and develops a visual display of the classroom’s progress meeting their goal for the food drive. With the help of generous donors, we put together a full Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings and also throw in some staple items like rice and flour. This act of kindness minimizes some of the financial burden that comes with the holidays and ensures every HWCEC family enjoys this special time of year.

  • Christmas Assistance

    Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center has been providing holiday assistance to families for the past 14 years.  This program alleviates some of the financial burden from families that struggle during the holiday season by providing clothing, toys, arts and crafts, sporting goods, etc. that are specific to the child’s age and interests. HWCEC families that sign up for assistance fill out a wish list for their child, secret shoppers go out and purchase the products on the wish list, and families have presents in hand before Christmas.

Contact Us

Do you celebrate a different holiday?

If you need assistance with food or gifts for a different holiday, let us know, and we will help in any way we can.