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Get FREE Christmas Gifts and Food in North Carolina!

Get FREE Christmas Gifts and Food in North Carolina!

Need a little Christmas help in North Carolina? We’ve found a ton of agencies and organizations that may be able to help you! In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to do to apply for free Christmas gifts, food and more.

After all, I know how frustrating it is to be unable to provide the holiday celebration your kids deserve. Sometimes, financial stress can make the holidays more stressful than exciting. It happens to everyone sometimes and there’s nothing wrong with needing a little Christmas help this year.

Get Free Christmas Gifts & Food in NC

You’ll probably recognize some of these nationwide agencies that provide free Christmas help in North Carolina. That’s because big-name charities like Salvation Army and Toys for Tots have a presence everywhere. Nevertheless, you can visit your local branch to find help with free Christmas gifts and food!

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army might be able to help you with free Christmas gifts and food in North Carolina. By using the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, your child can be connected to generous donors that can provide a better Christmas filled with gifts and exciting new things.

The program may even allow you to choose what your children get by giving them a chance to compile a wish list they can then use for the Angel Tree.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE: Children from low income families can be served by the Angel Tree program. Sometimes seniors can get help, too!

HOW TO APPLY: You can register on the Angel Tree website in most areas. Some chapters aren’t prepared to accept online applications yet, so you may have to contact your local Salvation Army instead if the online system doesn’t let you proceed.

Toys for Tots

The U.S. Marines have the Toys for Tots program that gives Christmas gifts to low income children. If you want help for your kids, you might be able to get it through Toys for Tots. The gifts are usually geared toward your child’s age and gender.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE: This program typically provides gifts to low income children who are age 12 or under. You have to live in a covered county. There are only 12 counties in North Carolina that are NOT covered by Toys for Tots.

HOW TO APPLY: Visit the Toys for Tots website and click the Request a Toy button. Select your state and then your county to begin the application process.

Other Christmas Help

There are other nationwide charities that help low income families in North Carolina as well. Don’t miss out! You can get the full list in our full Christmas resource directory.

Local Christmas Help in NC

During the holiday season, many local charities provide Christmas help to low income families. This help could include free Christmas gifts, free holiday meals and more. It’s possible to find such support in your local county. Scroll to find your county’s resource list below.

Alexander County

Bounty of Bethlehem in Bethlehem is an annual community Christmas dinner. Since the early 1980s, this organization has hosted a free dinner.

Caldwell County

Caldwell County Yokefellow in Lenoir has a food pantry, thrift store and other emergency services. Emergency assistance is available for families who qualify. It is not clear if they have a Christmas program, but the food pantry and thrift store may be able to provide relief.

Hudson First in Hudson provides a free Christmas lunch. It serves over 1,500 meals each year! They also host a Toy Store for low income families. Parents, grandparents and guardians can visit the store to pick up free Christmas gifts for their children. While you shop, you can enjoy homemade treats and more.

Catawba County

Smyrna Church in Catawba hosts an annual Christmas giveaway that provides free Christmas gifts, clothes and food to low income kids. It appears the giveaway is held in mid-December on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cumberland County

Abney Chapel Seventh Day Adventist Church in Fayetteville has several ministries that support local families in need. These include a food bank ministry and a community services team. They may be able to help with Christmas, too.

Bread Basket Ministry in Fayetteville provides free food for Christmas and Thanksgiving. They also have a special ministry that supports military members and their families.

Fayetteville Urban Ministries has a food pantry, clothing closet and financial assistance program for people who need help. They offer free bags of groceries, clothing, and limited financial assistance for families who qualify.

Franklin County

Tar River Baptist Association in Louisburg has partnered with Christian Family Ministries, local churches, school counselors, and social service agencies to provide assistance to low-income residents of Wake County. They offer assistance with other needs, too!

Gaston County

Belmont Community Organization in Belmont provides help with food, furniture, clothing, appliances, and household items. They can also provide limited financial assistance for specific needs like rent or utilities. They may be able to help you with food for the holidays or refer you to other Christmas assistance programs in the area.

The Lighthouse CAC in Gastonia hosts an annual Hope for the Holidays giveaway. They serve over 1,000 children per year with free Christmas gifts. You can see pictures of past giveaways on their Facebook page.

Guilford County

Blessed Table Food Pantry in Greensboro offers free food for low income families. Eligible visitors receive both non-perishable food items and toiletries once per month.

First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro offers their Hot Dish and Hope program to low-income families and those in need. With this program, those in need may visit the church to receive a hot holiday meal on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Greensboro Urban Ministries in Greensboro provides nutritious lunches every day, even on holidays. They also have a food pantry that can help you with groceries.

Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro offers free Christmas help for underprivileged children with at least one parent incarcerated in a North Carolina prison. With this program, volunteers purchase gifts for eligible children and deliver them in the name of their incarcerated parent. Moreover, these gifts get delivered to the children just before Christmas along with a few words of inspiration from the volunteers.

Jamestown Presbyterian Church in Jamestown hosts the Angel Tree program for low income families during the holidays. Eligible families may receive toys, games and books for their children. You may also be able to receive clothing, small gifts, and food for the entire family. Their food box program also provides special food boxes for holidays too.

Santa’s Workshop in Greensboro offers their services to low-income families with children aged 6 months to 13 years old. Eligible families receive several new, unopened toys, books, games, and clothing for each of their children. Families need a referral from the youth council.

Henderson County

Santa Pal in Hendersonville has been providing free Christmas gifts to low income children in Asheville and Henderson County for over 85 years. Along with an application, parents must provide Social Security and Medicaid cards. This program helps children between the ages of 2 and 12. Application instructions are provided in both English and Spanish.

Lee County

Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County in Sanford provides perishable and non-perishable food items to families who need them. You will be asked to provide the names and ages of your household members. They also have a thrift store that gives back to the community.

Sanford Elks Lodge runs an annual Christmas toy drive that focuses on older children and teens who are typically overlooked by other Christmas programs.

Bread of Life Ministries in Sanford provides a food bank, community meal program, and clothing bank for low income families who need a little help.

Lincoln County

Christian Ministry of Lincoln County provides free Christmas gifts and food to families in central and western Lincoln County. According to their website, they hand out wheelbarrows full of food. You need to register in November to get help with new toys. They also have a used-toy giveaway in early December that does not require registration.

McDowell County

Christmas in Clinchfield is a ministry of Clinchfield Baptist Church in Marion. This program provides free Christmas gifts and clothing items to low income children who need a little help. It features a free toy store where parents can come and shop for gifts for their kids. Applications are accepted from the last week of October to the first week of November. 

Project Christmas of McDowell is a school-based program in McDowell County that offers gifts, food, and Christmas trees for families with children in high school and younger. They usually start registration for this in October to make sure that everyone can get their paperwork and registration documents in on time.

There are specific interview times that you can sign up for when you fill out an application. If you are trying to sign up after October, you can send them a message directly on their Facebook page and see if there are any other spots left.

Dysartsville Food Pantry in Nebo provides boxes of food for those in need in McDowell County (and surrounding areas) on Thursdays. During the holiday season, they may provide holiday themed food baskets for families in need and also encourages you to bring others with you who may need help. 

Mecklenburg County

Catholic Charities in Charlotte offers a food pantry and assistance with pregnancy, adoption, burials, counseling, and refugee services. Their donation page seems to indicate that they offer holiday assistance programs although it isn’t listed in their services so it is unclear. They provide services to everyone in the Charlotte area regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, gender or religion.

Charlotte Rescue Mission in Charlotte provides holiday meals on Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. No registration is required.

Matthews Help Center in Matthews provides a free Christmas gifts to low income families. You can pick up a voucher to purchase gifts for all children under age 18 in your household. This program closes in early December each year so you need to register early!

Wake County

Community Helpers Services Center in Knightdale hosts an annual full-course Christmas dinner for low income families, including senior citizens, people with disabilities and the homeless. At this event, Santa Claus stops by to give out toys to all the children.

Helping Hand Mission in Raleigh offers food assistance with nutritional foods like fruits, vegetables, and meats. In addition, they also offer a daily soup kitchen that provides special meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

United Church in Apex hosts an annual Christmas Store that provides free Christmas gifts to low income families. Parents are welcomed to shop for free toys. Upon arrival, parents can pick out toys for their children aged newborn to 11 years old for free.

Wake County Holiday Cheer lets families in need sign up for help and then match them with qualified sponsors. Those in need will give their sponsors a list of presents their child wants and the sponsors will buy items from that list or offer gift certificates for the family to buy them. Registration begins in late October.

Relief Recap

If you want to apply for free Christmas gifts or other Christmas help in North Carolina, there are a ton of resources available to you! You just need to contact the organizations listed in this post for help. Remember to apply early because many of these programs wrap up before December even begins. It helps to plan ahead, prepare all of your income and household documentation, and check in often.

Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.

Catherine Marucci

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

Hi Denise. It may be worth calling 211 to see if they know of any local resources. I hope you find something!

Connie massey

Sunday 5th of November 2023

New at this so please bare with me lol. Thank you and your organization for all you do , God bless

Connie massey

Sunday 5th of November 2023

What about Caswell County North Carolina

Catherine Marucci

Tuesday 7th of November 2023

Hi. If the resources above are not helpful in your area, it may be worth calling 211 to see if they know of anything else.

Beth Ward

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

Could you add Catawba County on there please I know a lot of people/families struggling and in financial hardship there.

Catherine Marucci

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

We'll see what we can find!

Catherine Marucci

Wednesday 21st of December 2022

Hi Sarah. If you call 211, they may know about options that are still available in your area.