FREE Christmas Gifts & Food in Michigan

Need a little Christmas help? We know firsthand how frustrating it is when you can’t provide your kiddos with a huge holiday celebration. Sometimes, financial stress can make the holidays downright stressful and depressing. Fortunately, there are agencies that can help!

How to Get FREE Christmas Help in Michigan

There are some agencies that you can reach out to, no matter where you live in Michigan state.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is infamous for their red kettle campaign during the Christmas season. The funds they gather are used to help low income families across America. In order to receive assistance, you’ll usually need to register for their Angel Tree or Adopt-a-Family programs. To do that, you’ll need to contact your local Salvation Army.

There are several Salvation Army locations in Michigan. They have service centers in Alma, Bay City, Detroit, Midland, Mt. Pleasant and Saginaw. Contact your local Corps location for more information about the holiday programs they offer.

Toys for Tots

The Marine Toys for Tots campaign provides low income households with free Christmas gifts for their children. In order to register, you’ll need to connect with your local Toys for Tots campaign. There are currently Toys for Tots campaign in almost every Michigan county. Select your location from the list on the Toys for Tots website for more information about how you can apply this year.

And if your area isn’t covered, don’t worry. Check our list below for more local resources that can help!

Nationwide Resources

Don’t forget to check our Nationwide Christmas assistance list for more resources that may be able to help you! We try to avoid duplicating our resource lists, so you’ll miss out on organizations that can help you if you don’t check that page as well. We’ve found resources that can help you with Christmas trees and even free cars for the holidays!

How to Get FREE Christmas Help Near You

Depending on where you live, you may be able to get even more assistance from your local Churches and other charitable organizations. Below, we’ll break down the resources we’ve found by county and city for your convenience.

Genessee County

Flint, Grand Blanc, Burton and a few other communities can be found in Genesee County. If you live in this area, you can visit this list to see what we’ve found for you this holiday season.

Muskegon County 

Residents of Muskegon, Norton Shores, Fruitport and other nearby areas can receive assistance from these Muskegon County resources! We have found a few agencies that can assist you with free Christmas gifts, food, and more!

Toy Assistance:

Mission for Area People sets up a holiday toy shop every year in December for low-income families, working poor, single parents, and veterans who cannot afford to buy gifts for their children. Their Christmas Teen Town program offers Christmas gifts to older children, aged 15 to 18, sighting that children under 15 are provided by for other helpful programs.

Port City Church provides Christmas presents to children of low-income families who are a part of the Muskegon Heights Housing Commission. These toys get donated by community and church members who pick up a list of families in need in the lobby of the church. Items get purchased by those members and brought back to the church where they’re wrapped and placed under a Christmas Tree.

Salvation Army offers several services to families in need during the holidays. The Angel Tree program pairs needy families with sponsors who buy toys, clothing, food, gift certificates, and household items for families and delivers them a few days before Christmas. Additionally, they offer a soup kitchen that serves hot meals daily and holiday meals on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Toys For Tots gathers new and unopened toys from community members using donation boxes and holiday toy drives to give every Muskegon Country child something to open on Christmas day. These toys get sent to registered families a few days before Christmas. In 2021, 20,566 toys were distributed to 5,228 children during Christmas.

Food Assistance:

Catholic Charities serves hot meals to the working poor, low-income, seniors, veterans, and the homeless at different times throughout the week. They may have a holiday-centric meal during the winter months.

Ottawa County

There are many agencies in Ottawa County that can help you! If you live in Holland, Hudsonville, Dorr, or another area in Ottawa County, we have found programs you can use to get help this holiday season!

Toy Assistance:

Salvation Army invites low-income families with children aged newborn to 13 years old to apply for their Angel Tree program during the holidays. Families who qualify for this program get paired with community members who buy toys for the children. Registration for the Angel Tree program starts in October. It is best to sign up early because space can run out quickly. If you have any questions, you can call (815) 433-0798.

Toys For Tots in Ottawa County works each holiday to collect toys from community members and organizations for children of low-income families. Each child registered with the program receives several new, unopened toys and some children receive a new bicycle. The program’s collection of toys and gifts will start in the first week of November. If you have any questions about the program, you can email them here. 

Food Assistance:

Jehovah Jireh Ministries of West Michigan invites people struggling to make ends meet to their pantry for free clothing and food. They might have holiday ingredients available. Their usual food distribution days are Wednesdays from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm nd Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm. They not on the site that, if you are in a food emergency and you can’t wait until the usual distribution day, you can call them at 616-209-7688 to set up a time to pick up. 

Ottawa Food serves low-income families living in Ottawa County who need help putting food on their table. They provide a ton of resources and information on different food programs, like the Double Up Food Bucks program at local Farmers Markets where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables and the program will match your purchase dollar for dollar. 

Project Hope offers grocery items for families who need it. During the holidays, Project Hope provides free holiday dinner boxes filled with all the ingredients needed to make a traditional holiday meal.

Salvation Army offers families holiday dinner boxes filled with all the ingredients needed for a traditional holiday meal. To sign up for a Christmas Food Basket, you can call the Salvation Army office at (815) 433-0798.

Saginaw County

First Presbyterian Church invites low-income families throughout Saginaw County to apply for their assistance programs during their time of need. The First Presbyterian Church offer free bags of both perishable and non-perishable food items along with holiday meals.

Wayne County

We’ve found help in Wayne County, too! Be sure to check out this list to find out what’s available in your area.

Get more FREE stuff in Michigan!

Nicole Thelin

Nicole leads the Low Income Relief team with over 20 years of professional research and writing experience. Nicole started Low Income Relief after a personal experience with poverty. When her husband was medically discharged from the US Army, their family experienced tremendous financial hardship. Nicole was able to gather help from multiple community agencies and move into a nearby low income housing unit in just two weeks! Since then, Nicole has been dedicated to helping low income families in crisis. She regularly spends hundreds of hours combing through countless resources to make sure that Low Income Relief has the most comprehensive and complete resource directories on the internet today. Prior to starting Low Income Relief, Nicole worked as a novelist, journalist, ghostwriter and content creator. Her work has been featured in various print and online publications, including USA Today, eHow, Livestrong, Legal Beagle, The Daily Herald, The Chronicle and more.