Holiday Helping Hands

Holiday Helping Hands

Seton Center assists approximately 150 eligible families each year to celebrate the holidays with dignity and joy. We distribute gift cards to local grocery stores (Jubilee Foods, Food Lion, and Weis Markets) to assist families in planning their meals. At Christmas, we also provide a Toy/Teen Gift Card distribution.

To be eligible for the Christmas Toy/Teen Gift Card distribution, families pay a nominal fee of $2 for each child (cash only) to receive gifts (infant to 12 years of age) or gift cards (teens). Only the parents/legal guardians of children may request inclusion in the Toy/Teen Gift Card distribution.

At Thanksgiving, participants are eligible based on their income alone, with no requirement to contribute toward the food cards.

The number of families we can serve and amount of assistance is dependent on donations. We may need to limit the number of families we can assist if we receive fewer donations than needed. All applications will be accepted on a first-come/first-serve basis. Families who miss the cutoff may be put on a waitlist.

To complete the process, you will be asked to provide:

• Photo ID
• Proof of income or unemployment (pay stub, letter from employer indicating wages, SSI or SSDI documentation
• Proof of residency (utility bill, mortgage statement, lease agreement, or letter from landlord/roommate)
• Proof of custody/guardianship of children in the household
• A working phone number and email address

Applicants must reside in our service area at the time of application. Please refer to the following to determine your service area eligibility:

• 21719 Cascade (Frederick County side)
• 21727 Emmitsburg
• 21757 Keymar, Legore, New Midway, Ladiesburg (Frederick County side)
• 21773 Wolfsville (not Myersville)
• 21778 Rocky Ridge
• 21780 Sabillasville
• 21783 Smithsburg (Frederick County side)
• 21787 Taneytown (Frederick County side)
• 21788 Thurmont
• 21798 Woodsboro
• 17320 Fairfield

You may only participate in one holiday donations program in the area. (e.g. Helping Hands, Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, etc.) We coordinate with other nonprofits and anyone who has applied to multiple agencies will be denied.