Provide gifts for kids in foster care

As a way to give back to our community, please bring a toy for CFK's Christmas in July event! All gifts given will go directly to youth in foster care during the 2025 holiday season.

How does it work?

  1. Purchase Christmas gifts for kids in foster care from our Amazon Wishlist or get ideas from the wishlist below!

2. Drop off your unwrapped gifts on Sunday, July 6th or Sunday, July 13th at the designated areas of any of the three Mercy Church campuses. (Families can bring a toy when they drop off their child for Kids Week: July 7th - July 10th)

Interested in attending our Christmas in July Event?

Saturday, July 19 | 10 AM - 12:30PM (drop-in & drop-off)

CFK Homebase | 5835 Executive Center Drive, Ste 100, Charlotte NC 28212

 
 

GIFT WISH LISTS

All items collected through our Christmas in July event will go directly to youth in the foster care system through our Merry Market event in December.

We’ve made your shopping easier and created lists of our most requested gifts from over the years! We created an Amazon wishlist HERE or check out the list below.

  • INFANTS/BABIES

    Multi-ethnic dolls

    Sorting/nesting/stacking/shape toys, blocks

    Pull/push/musical toys, V-tech, electronic education toys

    PRE-SCHOOL/KIDS

    Multi-ethnic dolls & Barbies, especially those where you can style their hair

    Educational, interactive toys or science kits

    Bikes, ride-on toys, scooters

    Sturdy cars or trucks, remote control cars and trucks

    Role play toys (kitchen sets, dress-up costumes, workshops & tools, lawn keeping)

    Action/superhero figures, animal/dinosaur figures and play sets (Esp. TV & movie characters like Marvel, DC, Paw Patrol, Doc McStuffins, Disney Princess, Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers etc.)

    Building blocks & construction sets, Legos

    YOUTH/TEENS

    Arts/crafts supplies, kits (e.g., tie-dying, candle-making, jewelry-making, etc.)

    Hair accessories (bands, bows), make up, cosmetics, lip gloss, fragrance & cologne (men's and women's)

    Cool lamps and bedroom décor, LED light strips

    Hoop earrings, fake eyelashes, nail polish

    Headphones, wireless earbuds, mp3 players, Blutooth speaker

    Electronic drawing pads

    Pokemon Cards

    Journals, notebooks, drawing or sketching supplies

    Decorative pillows, blankets

    Fanny packs, small purses, small backpacks, sling bags

    Water bottles (name-brand)

    Jewelry for teens

    ALL

    Puzzles & games for all ages

    Crafts & art supplies

    Sporting goods and accessories, balls, outdoor play items

    Bikes, skates, roller blades, skateboards, scooters and helmets/pads

FAQ’s

  • No. Foster care is such a fluid situation and we cannot predict which children will be in care or where they will be living by Christmas time. Our wishlists are designed to help you purchase our top requested needs and items by both the kids themselves and their social workers who shop for them during Merry Market in December.

  • Christmas in July serves two purposes. The first is to give your entire family or group of friends/co-workers an opportunity to come serve and engage in all four of CFK’s pathways in one afternoon. The second is to help support CFK’s Merry Market event in December which provides gifts to kids in foster care during the holidays. For some, the gifts received through Merry Market will be the only gifts they receive all year. Read more about Merry Market below!

  • Please leave the gifts unwrapped as they will be displayed during our Merry Market for social workers to come “shop” for the kids on their caseloads in December.

 

Parent Resources

Christmas in July is designed to engage the whole family in serving vulnerable children. The activities and information presented is suitable for all ages! However, we know that engaging with CFK can bring up some tough questions for your kids. We wanted to help give you some common language that you can use as you navigate how to discuss foster care with your family. The questions below are posed from “the child’s” perspective.

  • All kids deserve to be safe and cared for. Sometimes parents aren't able to do these things and so other families called foster families open up their homes for the child to stay until their parents get the help they need.

  • Foster care is temporary, while adoption is forever.

  • The goal is always to get kids back with their families as soon as it's safe, healthy, and possible. Sometimes that takes a few months and other times it can take up to two years. The average for a child staying in care in our area ia about 1.5 - 2 years.

  • Most of the time, when parents need support there are other family members - grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and trusted neighbors that can offer help. Foster care is only necessary when there is no other support to be found in the child's community.

  • Pray for them.

    Meet tangible needs through The Landing Platform.

    Serve as a volunteer.

    Your family can be encouragers for social workers and GALs through our Socialight program.