A step-by-step guide to applying for the Give A Christmas program

Aedy Miller, Burlington County Times
·4 min read
With the help of the Burlington County Times’ partner organization, NJ 211 — a nonprofit that connects people with community resources that provide living necessities — applying for Give A Christmas is easier than ever.
With the help of the Burlington County Times’ partner organization, NJ 211 — a nonprofit that connects people with community resources that provide living necessities — applying for Give A Christmas is easier than ever.

Struggling families can apply for $50 Walmart gift cards to help them buy presents this holiday season through the Burlington County Times’ annual Give A Christmas program.

The Times and its partner in the effort, the nonprofit NJ 211, are accepting applications through Sunday, Nov. 21.

A family can receive one gift card per child, for a maximum of four gift cards per family. Families with fewer than four children also can receive a card for the parents to share to buy gifts for each other.

How do you apply? Here’s a step-by-step guide.

More: 2021 Give A Christmas program will help families in need during second pandemic holidays

Step one: Live in Burlington County

Only Burlington County residents are eligible to receive gift cards.

Step two: Text GAC to 898211

NJ 211’s text line makes applying to the Give A Christmas program easier than ever.

Step three: Gather and send the required documents

After the text line welcomes you, you will be provided with the list of documents you need to send in to verify your identity, said Rae Duncan, quality assurance and training supervisor for NJ 211.

A parent or legal guardian can apply for a child or a whole family. For each child, they must send in one of the following: a personal identification photo, a copy of a Social Security card, a copy of a birth certificate, or a copy of a school ID.

They also must send in either a copy of the family’s most current lease or utility bill in addition to proof of income for the month of October, said Duncan.

Applicants must then send the documents to NJ 211 either by fax, to 609-435-1580, or by email, at gac@nj211.org.

More: Give A Christmas helped family welcome adopted son, buy gifts despite hardships in 2020

Step four: Answer the basic eligibility questions via text

What is the total number of people living in your household?

This question must be answered with a number.

What is your gross household income?

You will be asked if your annual income is below a certain dollar level based on the size of your family.

According to Duncan, a family making 200% of the federal poverty level or less will be eligible for the program. For families of two through five, those annual incomes are as follows:

  • Family of two: $34,840

  • Family of three: $43,920

  • Family of four: $53,000

  • Family of five: $62,080

Step five: Fill out the online application

After you have finished the texting section, you now must complete the rest of the application via Google Forms, said Duncan.

You must enter the following information: your cellphone number, your first and last name, address, email and the number of children 17 and under and their dates of birth you are applying for. You can list a maximum of four children.

Then you will be asked to share why you are applying for assistance, which can be anywhere from one sentence to a full paragraph.

Eligible recipients may include, but are not limited to, parents with sick children, single family households, people struggling with addiction and people who are unemployed.

Loss of income due to the pandemic, a common explanation during last year’s Give A Christmas, is also a valid reason to apply, said Duncan.

Step six: Press submit

Once you press the submit button, your application is sent to NJ 211.

The Times’ Give A Christmas partner since 2019, NJ 211 has never denied an application.

To receive the gift cards, applicants must remember to send in the required identity verification documents. If NJ 211 has not received them within 48 hours of processing an application, applicants will be sent a text or email to remind them. NJ 211 will send two more reminders if it hasn’t yet received a response, said Duncan.

Once the nonprofit confirms a resident’s information, it mails the gift card(s) to the address on the application.

Once again, remember to submit applications before the Nov. 21 deadline.

NJ 211 also provides assistance to residents across the state all year-round. New Jerseyans can text their ZIP code any time to the same number — 898211 — and receive information about housing, food, transportation and other resources in their area. NJ 211 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The organization also runs an online resource database, which can be found on the NJ 211 website.

Since January, NJ 211 has been contacted more than 880,000 times for help with food, housing utility assistance, healthcare and more, according to Melissa Acree, executive director of NJ 211.

Anyone interested in donating can do so at www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/giveachristmas.

For questions about the Give A Christmas program, contact Executive Editor Audrey Harvin at aharvin@gannett.com.

Aedy Miller covers education and the economy for the Burlington County Times, Courier-Post, and The Daily Journal. They are a multimedia journalist from Central Jersey and a recent graduate of the George Washington University.

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This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: Here's how to apply for the Give A Christmas 2021 program