• Christmas Providers is fortunate to receive canned and boxed food items via food drives spear-headed by the HEB & BISD school districts.
• Hundreds of boxes come into our distribution center. 
• Food is dumped into shopping carts.
• SORTING: Volunteers sort the food  organized with like items onto various tables throughout the room.
• BOXING: Once the tables are well stocked, volunteers pack a specific set of items into each box.
• Beginning in 2023, there will be two smaller boxes.
•  The end product is a 35-pound box of non-perishable food.
• Each family will be given 2 boxes (an A and a B box)
• This orchestrated process continues until our goal of number of boxes is met.
• This entire process can take up to three 12-hour days. So the more volunteers we have during various shifts, the faster we reach our goal to supply boxed food items to the adopted families.
• We play holiday music and have Christmas hats, snacks & water for all to enjoy.
• Bring your friends and enjoy the camaraderie!

• We have three 4-hour shifts on each of the three 12-hour days, beginning Monday, December 4 through Wednesday, December 6.
• Shifts: 8:30a-12:30pm ; 12:30pm-4:30pm; 4:30pm-8:30pm.
• If you are unable to stay the full shift please indicate this on your volunteer request form.
• If you are unable to attend, please contact us at christmasproviders@gmail.com.
• Great opportunity for High school students to get much-needed volunteer service hours during their shift, typically arrive after school.
• Various companies and local city personnel typically volunteer during regular working hours.

Many years, we have the great fortune to finish our goal of completed boxes by mid-day on Wednesday. However, we still need volunteers on Wed. afternoon to sort and box the balance of food donations so that we can give it back to the community.

It is worth noting, that while some years we are finished with everything by mid afternoon there are years when we’ve needed additional volunteers to help move boxes and equipment (Tables, carts, etc.) to an off-site location.  By providing your email we will proactively notify you of any change in the need for volunteers.

Yes, we have been very fortunate for the generosity of the community that donates the food.  Typically have plenty left over — which we give back to Mission Central, and the Community Enrichment Center.

Sometimes, yes.

And on occasion, we have folks who will donate items where we fall short. Typically, we need peanut butter, jelly (plastic jars) and regular size boxes of cereal (so they fit in the box). Sometimes it’s tuna, sometimes it’s mac and cheese.

If we do run out during the boxing process, we supplement the missing item with another type of boxed or canned item.

Once our goal is met to meet the needs of our adopted families for the season, we re-box (yes, we box up what we unboxed just a few days prior!) all remaining food and it is then donated to a few local food banks so that we can “pay it forward.” Nothing goes to waste.

Wednesday afternoon is when repack food for the other food banks. We box all like items together, label each box, then arrange for those organizations to pick up needed inventory to help serve the needs of their clients.