“Demand has greatly intensified this year,” says the aforementioned Hardison of Toys for Tots. Because of that the organization run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve has shifted its national campaign to online. “We have a virtual toy drive,” says Hardison. Toys for Tots has enabled people to purchase toys for a specific location and donate to its virtual toy box. That said, local campaigns are committed to continuing and if you’d like to see if there’s one in your area, you can locate local efforts with the Toys for Tots map where you can search by city and county.

For 27 years Samaritan’s Purse has collected shoe boxes full of small toys and hygiene items for children around the world serving 178 million children in more than 150 countries according to the nonprofit’s website. And that mission continues this year thanks to the nonprofit’s curbside drop-off plan. “Volunteers are preparing to collect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 16 ­– 23, at more than 4,000 locations across the U.S. Each location will now offer a curbside drop-off option,” says Lucas Zellers, the organizations Media Relations Coordinator in an email to Romper. For more information on how Operation Christmas Child is making adjustments during its National Collection Week, readers can visit the organization’s Important COVID-19 Updates webpage for the latest information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

For organizations like Make A Wish foundation, with 59 chapters nationwide, each has their own holiday plans. That said, in order to continue to give back while social distancing, the gift-giving nonprofit that surprises sick children with grand wishes has launched Families For Wishes. The campaign is asking communities of families, friends and more to create their own unique Families For Wishes fundraising page to raise funds to help grant life-changing wishes which can include the popular holiday wish of a shopping spree. While this is a monetary campaign, funds raised will be translated into the purchasing of toys and other most-wished for items.

This year has been hard enough, but imagine the heartbreak of a family heading into the holidays with a sick child. St. Jude's Hospital treats 8,600 such kids each year, according to its website. For a child with a serious illness, a toy could bring a little sunshine on a tough day. That's why St. Jude's has an online holiday gift drive. The hospital's Child Life Program and Housing Department provides the St. Jude Holiday Shop for patient families and caregivers who are staying on campus during the holiday season. Those who want to donate can use the Amazon Wish List to help out. St. Jude's also accepts toys by mail but they can't accept: stuffed animals, handmade items, food, candy, cloth baby dolls, porcelain dolls, bubble mixtures, or any ride-on toys or used items.

On a local level, shelters across the country are still housing homeless people in the midst of pandemic and you might be surprised how many residents are children: 2.5 million children according to the National Center of Family Homelessness. That comes out to 1 in every 30 children. To make sure these kids get a little bit of holiday joy, you can use the Homeless Shelter Directory to find a shelter in your area where you can donate.