33rd Annual Holiday for Hope
A drive to support the needs of our community's most vulnerable with warmth, care, and love.
Holiday for Hope
One in four kids in Chicago lives in poverty.
Make a difference this season and give a homeless child a reason to celebrate the holidays! Light up an underprivileged child's face by donating new unwrapped toys, blankets, coats, water bottles, and monetary contributions to Holiday for Hope.
Give Toys
Show your love with a new, unwrapped toy.
Give Warmth
Donate blankets, mittens, coats, and water bottles.
Give Money
Your monetary contribution supports Holiday for Hope and Dreams for Kids.
How It Works
Shop Online. Ship to DFK.
Shop from one of our Amazon Wishlists or from other online retailers. Have your gift shipped directly to DFK Holiday For Hope headquarters at:
1535 N. Dayton St. Chicago, IL 60642
or
Buy in Store. Drop Off in Person.
Buy toys, blankets, and gifts in store and drop off to one of our DFK Holidays for Hope locations
See drop-off locations
Holiday for Hope
and COVID
In the past, Holiday for Hope has been a joyous in-person event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will, once again, not be hosting the live in-person event.
However, we're not stopping. We will be collecting contributions at select locations across the city and distributing them to families, churches, and charities in need.
Drop-Off Locations
Deadline: Monday, December 13th at 1 p.m.
The drop-off deadline for this year's Holiday For Hope is at 1 p.m. today. After today, toys will no longer be picked up from drop-off locations.
Program Partners
A very special thank you to this year's program partners, Project I Am and Fill a Heart 4 Kids. They will be helping distribute all the contributions to those in need.
Since Christmas Eve, 1989, Dreams for Kids has served over 73,000 of our most vulnerable kids during the Holiday Season across the United States and around the world.
Dreams Began Here
On Christmas Eve, 1989, Dreams for Kids began. This event started it all. On this day, Clara’s House, a tiny homeless shelter in Chicago’s desperate Englewood community, hosted a small celebration for 54 homeless children, who according to Clara – “…would never have known it was Christmas if you had not come.” That day they had the freedom to believe. And to date over 70,000 kids across the United States and in countries around the world have celebrated their Holiday for Hope.
This is more than a celebration. It is a beginning. It is more than hope. It is a commitment. A promise for participants to pay it forward in their community. And promise to help bring sustainable change to their lives and to our homeless crisis.