Give A Gift of Joy This Holiday Season

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and what's more wonderful than giving back to your community? Shop our Amazon Wish List and join us in our Virtual Holiday Giving Tree to provide local families and kids with gifts of joy this holiday! As we shop for the holidays for our loved ones, there are children and families in our local communities that will be struggling through the holidays to pay rent or put food on the table—or to buy gifts for each other and their children.

The Holiday Giving Tree Program was created to assist those in our community who are struggling to provide for their families during the holidays. Intended recipients tell the Y what gifts their children want, anonymous Good Samaritans purchase said gift(s) to be sent to the Y, and the Y coordinates delivery of the gifts to the children and/or parents before the holidays. 

If you are able, please join us by shopping our Amazon Wish List and bringing happiness to others this holiday season! 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Click on the link below, sign into your Amazon account and purchase the gifts of your choice. While you are welcome to give anonymously, we encourage you to send a gift note including your name with every purchase so we can pass it along directly to the families! 

SHOP THE WISH LIST

All gifts purchased online will be shipped to the Summit YMCA, and then distributed to the families in mid-December. If your having trouble with shipping options or you'd like to purchase additional items, gifts can be delivered or shipped, unwrapped to the Summit YMCA, in care of:

Patty Facchinei
67 Maple Street
Summit, NJ 07901

Again, we encourage you to send a gift note including your name with every purchase so we can pass it along directly to the families!

A Holiday to remember - 2021

For 2021, in true Summit Area YMCA fashion, our community donated over $11,000 worth of gifts, supplies, gift cards, and cash totaling almost 400 gifts distributed to 200 local children and students, and 150 families over the holiday break. Dozens of individuals donated, and the Y was thrilled to partner with several other generous local organizations to make the holidays special for our community members in need.

One of the families is multigenerational: two single moms, one who is paraplegic, and three young children. "We were told they rent two bedrooms in a shared apartment with another family," Patty Facchinei, Financial Aid & Volunteer Coordinator of the Summit Area YMCA explained. "When my husband and I went to deliver their gifts, we were greeted by two children jumping up and down and clapping their hands. Their mom was watching, smiling with tears in her eyes and just so delighted to receive our gifts. I had my Santa hat on and the kids asked me if there was a Santa Claus. I told them that we were helping Santa out this year because of COVID, as some of Santa's helpers were recovering. We gave them a high-five and we laughed. Needless to say, it was a pretty quiet drive home for my husband and myself. Most people don't see this often in Summit, it really puts things into perspective."

READ MORE

Questions? Contact:

Patty Facchinei

Financial Aid & Volunteer Coordinator
SUMMIT YMCA

patty.facchinei@thesay.org
(908)273-3330 Ext. 1174

Tiffany Escott

Mission Advancement & Development Director
SUMMIT AREA YMCA

tiffany.escott@thesay.org
(908) 464-8373

SUMMIT AREA YMCA

BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA | SUMMIT YMCA | THE LEARNING CIRCLE YMCA

In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men's Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values, and is made stronger by, its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring and respect — are integral to everyday operations.

Each year, as one of the area’s leading 501(c)3 charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 15,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.