Sharing Christmas joy through generosity

Volunteers sort through donated Christmas gifts during a recent Catholic Charities Share Your Blessings gift drive. Last year, the annual program distributed more than 5,300 gifts to children and seniors of all backgrounds throughout the Archdiocese. (File Photo by James Ramos/Herald)HOUSTON — Thousands of children, youth and seniors across the Archdiocese will experience the joy of Christmas because of Catholic Charities’ Share Your Blessings campaign. Celebrating 30 years of service, the program provides gifts for families and individuals facing financial hardship, offering hope and compassion at the heart of the season. 

“Catholic Charities strives to ensure that every person is treated with dignity,” said Hope Gassett, interim manager for volunteer services for Catholic Charities. “Through the Share Your Blessings campaign, children and seniors from all backgrounds receive gifts they might otherwise go without. The program also gives parents the opportunity to select presents for their children at no cost.”

Supported by the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF), the Share Your Blessings campaign reflects the 2025 annual campaign theme, “Cry out with joy to the Lord,” by caring for families who might otherwise face the holidays with uncertainty. Last year, over 5,300 gifts were distributed through the program, thanks to the generosity of supporters, including parishes, Catholic schools, and other community partners. This year’s goal is 6,000 gifts.

Gassett said her connection to the program is deeply personal, shaped by memories of her own childhood Christmases and the awareness that many children today experience the season differently.

“The thought of how grand my Christmases always were, and the thought of a child not receiving any toys really tugs my heart,” Gassett said. “This has become a personal mission for me. We can’t do it without the generosity of those giving money, gifts or time.”

This effort fills her heart with joy each year, supported by many hands working quietly behind the scenes to make the drive successful. Volunteers from across the area help sort, wrap and prepare gifts for distribution, including groups from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, the Rice Catholic Student Center, the Astros Foundation and Volunteer Houston.

“Our volunteers love being part of this work because they can help families choose gifts that are just like the ones they would place under their own trees,” Gassett said.

Gassett said parish involvement continues to grow, with churches from as far as Fulshear, Galveston and Chambers County sending volunteers and organizing toy drives. Corporate partners such as the Houston Young Lawyers Association also support the campaign by contributing hundreds of gifts.

Whether through a monetary donation, a small gift card or a simple toy like a basketball or doll, Gassett said every contribution makes a difference. Even small efforts can have an impact and touch the hearts of families who receive the gifts.

“The recipients know that they are loved and remembered on Christmas morning,” Gassett said. “Thinking about that little extra joy that we can provide really fills my heart.”

As one of the seniors who received a gift through Share Your Blessings, 84-year-old Carolyn Doris said the experience made a meaningful difference in her Christmas season. She first learned about the program through the Mamie George Community Center and said receiving a gift made her feel appreciated, knowing no one would be forgotten at Christmas. 

Doris said the soft green blanket she received reminded her that they were blessed by someone’s love, even though neither the givers nor the recipients knew each other.
“Someone wanted to share God’s blessing of giving His Son to the world as an example of how we should all share,” Doris said. “My heart was so full of gratitude and thankfulness. We did not know who they were, and they did not know who received this gift.”

Doris said the kindness she experienced deepened her gratitude for the staff and donors who make the program possible. She described the senior community as a place filled with love, where they feel like family and are continually reminded of God’s care.

“I see God’s love all around me at Catholic Charities in the staff and all the people who received and those who gave these blessings,” Doris said. “You have no idea how you touched so many. This is the only Christmas for some of my friends here.”

Community distributions will take place on Dec. 13 at the Mamie George Community Center in Richmond and the Beacon of Hope Center in Galveston. Houston-area families can schedule appointments to select gender- and age-appropriate toys or visit St. Nick’s Place, a pop-up holiday market inside Catholic Charities’ warehouse on the South Loop near NRG Stadium.

Toy donations can be delivered to any Catholic Charities location in Houston, Galveston or Fort Bend counties. Gifts and gift cards may also be purchased and delivered through the Amazon wish list at www.catholiccharities.org/syb. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 713-526-4611.

To contribute to the 2025 Annual DSF Appeal, which supports the Share Your Blessings campaign and more than 63 ministries requiring critical funding, visit archgh.org/dsf. Every dollar donated to the DSF directly supports vital ministries that provide education and formation opportunities or deliver much-needed direct service to those in the Archdiocese.