Christmas Store

Unidos believes that the magical moment of seeing a child’s eyes light up when they open that special gift is a moment intended to be shared as a family. Low-income parents are working hard all year long to provide for their kids, and we want to provide a small boost to help them enjoy the generosity of the holidays.

When you Stock the Store with new, donated toys, Unidos families can shop for the gifts their kids really want, with a steep discount putting them within reach. Then the revenue from the store goes back into the community to help fund Unidos programming all year round.

Keep reading to learn how to Shop the Store.

Looking to Stock the Store? The 2023 deadline has passed, but you can still donate to our Year-End Campaign.

Shop the Store

WHO CAN BE AN UNIDOS CHRISTMAS STORE SHOPPER?

Shoppers are connected to Unidos

Shoppers either live in the downtown area of San Juan Capistrano OR participate in Unidos programs.

Shoppers need a boost this Christmas.

On the Honor System, our shoppers fall below these income guidelines:

Family of 2: < $4517/month

Family of 3: < $5083/month

Family of 4: < $5646/month

Family of 5: < $6100/month

*HUD Income categories Very Low and Extremely Low for South Orange County.

See you in 2024!

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See you in 2024! ⋆

Starting with just 78 gifts in 2017, we now receive approximately 1000 donated gifts each year to benefit more than 200 local families.

What we love about the Christmas Store

  • Kids Love It

    Instead of kids getting a gift from an organization, they get it from their parents as an expression of their love. They don’t get a random toy but a gift they actually want in the context of a loving family celebration.

  • Parents Love It

    Parents work hard all year to provide for their kids, but Christmas is especially taxing. Instead of feeling humiliated when a wealthy donor lavishes their children with gifts, they hold their head high, knowing that all work – even low-wage work – is dignified. They don’t want a hand-out; but they really appreciate a great discount.

  • Neighbors Love It

    The proceeds from parents’ purchases will support Unidos’ year-round work in the community, and shoppers are proud to be part of it. Some even make additional donations to be a part of the work of strengthening the neighborhood.

Diana

“For my family it was a huge blessing to be able to shop at the Unidos Christmas Store. As you know many people lack work in December because of the rain and because their employers go on vacation. But thanks to the good prices at the Christmas Store, we're able to use our savings to buy a Christmas dinner for our families.”

Vero

“My kids anxiously await this lucky day, and as parents we’re so happy to see them happy. We’re so grateful to be able to bring a gift home, one that we wouldn’t have been able to afford because of the situation in which we live.”

Three Ways to Stock the Store

  • Donate Toys by Shopping Online

    Unidos kids and parents have helped create a wishlist of the most exciting toys and cultural icons in our neighborhood!

    Ship all items to Unidos South OC at the address linked in the wishlist to arrive by December 13.

  • Shop and Drop by Dec. 13

    Shop till you drop …it off at one of our drop-off locations! Choose any gift that you think a five to eighteen year old would enjoy. Remember that parents are looking to splurge on their kids with one special gift. Your donation will make those things accessible to a low-income parent.

  • Donate Funds

    The easiest way to Stock the Store is to donate money and we’ll take care of it for you! The bonus of this option is that we can use the funds to fill the gaps and to replenish the shelves when we see what is most popular this year.

Host a Toy Drive

This is one of our favorite ways for people to get involved! 

IDEA 1: Spice up a regular meeting by taking some time to select toys together! Before your board meeting, bible study, staff meeting or book club, send out our wishlist. During your meeting, take 15 minutes to pause your agenda and Stock the Store together! 

IDEA 2: Shopping Party! Grab your friends for a holiday outing, sip some hot cocoa and shop together, then take all the gifts to one of our Drop-Off Locations. Don’t forget to take a photo and tag #unidoschristmasstore

IDEA 3: Set out some Unidos Christmas Store flyers at your church, business or office next to a large box for people to drop off donations. Make sure that you put a final date on the sign to give you time to bring the donations to one of our drop-off locations. 

IDEA 4: We have even had a school plan a field trip to Stock the Store! Students practiced math skills in experiential learning while shopping together at Target. Then teachers looped it back into a language arts lesson as they wrote a personal narrative about generosity.  

Hosting a Toy Drive is creative and fun, making generosity contagious!