A neighborhood Christmas Store where dignity meets generosity. Families choose new gifts at a fraction of retail, and every dollar spent returns to neighbors in crisis through a resident‑guided fund.
Since 2017, Unidos South OC has hosted a dignified Christmas shopping experience in San Juan Capistrano. This is not a giveaway line. Parents select what fits their children, pay a portion of the retail price, and wrap gifts on site. The store is built by community donations and partner drives, but the experience is simple and local. Neighbors are the center of the story.
Beginning with just 78 gifts in 2017, we now serve over 200 families per year with a Christmas Store of over 1000 gifts!
WHAT HAPPENS HERE…
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Kids Feel the Joy
Kids open gifts chosen with care by their own parents. The surprise feels personal, and the season feels like it should, full of joy, wonder, and connection.
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Parents Lead the Giving
Parents know their children best and they choose accordingly. A small payment keeps the act of providing in their hands. The moment of giving belongs to them.
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Neighbors Strengthen Neighbors
Every purchase circles back to the neighborhood through a resident-guided crisis fund. Help moves at the speed of trust, close to home.
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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.”
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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.”
Hosting a Toy Drive is one of the simplest ways to stand with your neighbors this season. When your business, school, or church invites people to bring new gifts, you help fill the Christmas Store with care that parents can see and choose for themselves.
The ripple is real: a child receives something picked with love; a parent stays at the center of the giving; and the wider community feels that quiet sense of “we’re in this together.”
Your drive can be a small, steady stream that flows back into families’ homes; gifts wrapped and ready, memories made without the weight of worry. If this is your yes, we’d be honored to have you host and help stock the Store.
