Adoptions / Adopt-A-Family
Christmas for the whole household
Adopt-A-Family
Adopt a New Jersey household with children and make their complete wish list come true. You read their story, you shop for their gifts, and you are part of the reason a family wakes up to Christmas.
Who this program serves
Adopt-A-Family is our flagship program, part of Operation Holiday at Home®. It serves New Jersey households raising children through age 17: single parents, two-parent homes, grandparents and kinship caregivers, large families, veterans, families in temporary housing, and many more.
Every household applied on its own, told its story in its own words, and was reviewed by our team before its profile was posted. A random 20% of households go through full household verification. Each head of household may apply only once.
What you'll see in every profile
Each household is listed by its Family ID. You'll see the family's story, their town, their household size, any health conditions they chose to share, and a wish list for every person with their clothing and shoe sizes.
Names, street addresses and photos are never posted. When you adopt, we send you the details you need to shop and deliver, privately, by email.
Single mother of two working full time, doing her best to give her children a Christmas to remember...
- City
- Your Town, NJ 07000
- County
- Morris
- Household size
- 3
- Health conditions
- None reported
Your Part
What sponsoring a household means, start to finish.
The complete wish list
When you adopt, you pledge to buy every gift on the household's wish list. Checkout is $0. It is a pledge, not a charge. Groups and offices are welcome to divide one list among their members.
Gift cards are welcome. Cash and jewelry are not part of any wish list.
Getting the gifts home
You choose how the gifts arrive. Most sponsors ship them by US Postal Service, FedEx or UPS. Others deliver in person, at the family's home, or arrange a visit from Santa.
For everyone's privacy, gifts are never picked up at a sponsor's office. We follow every adoption until delivery is confirmed.
Ready to choose a family?
Families are waiting now. Read their stories and pick the household you'd like to adopt.
Sponsors choose who they adopt. Operation Holiday® does not.
For families: seeing your Family ID marked as adopted is not the final word. In rare cases a sponsor cannot follow through because of health or money. An adoption is final only when you receive an email from Operation Holiday®, sent after we have confirmed with your sponsor.