2021 Foster Elves Guidelines

Thanks for having a tender heart for foster children!  Thank you for being part of this!

Feel free to vet me (Mara Lovejoy) with Robin Penninger at Davidson County DSS or with Shannon Lindegren at Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian Church in Lexington.

If you are sponsoring, but not shopping….

Please send your check made out to Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Grace Way, Lexington, NC 27295. Designate it for the foster elves. The church will cash it and give the money to my trusted designated shopper.

If you are sponsoring AND shopping….

I’ll email you an attachment of the child’s list, so you’ll have all the information I do.  Please get EXACTLY what the child requested, within reason.  NO SUBSTITUTIONS.

(If there is a question regarding size or color or appropriateness, or whatever, email Robin Penninger at robin.penninger@davidsoncountync.gov and ask her.  She can check with the foster parent to clear up any confusion. Or ask me, and I’ll check with Robin for you.)

We do our best to fulfill the first 3 wishes.  Be sure to fill wish number 1, and then as many of the others listed as possible, within your budget. (Our loose suggested budget is about $50-$75 for children, and up to $100+ for teens.)  Some lists come in under budget, some over.  We don’t attempt to spend exactly the same amount on each child, but do try to get exactly what the child has requested.  For example, if a teen requests special shoes, etc. that go over the budget, we try to fill that wish anyway.   Also, please get gift receipts if possible, just in case.  Would you please tuck the gift receipts into a Christmas card for the foster parents?   I’m sure they would appreciate being thought of too, with a personal note thanking them for caring for ___. Please don’t sign your real name, just _______’s foster elf. (BTW, some elves tuck in a gift card for the foster parents. Not required, but certainly appreciated.)

Wrapping….

Please leave tags on, but cut off the price or mark it out.  Wrap each gift separately, so there are more presents!  (In our leanest years, we used to wrap socks separately, just to fill that empty space under the tree, and to give the kids extra gifts to open.)  Bikes, etc, need to be assembled, and put in a bike bag.  If needed, I have a bike assembler on stand-by! Be sure to include any necessary batteries, etc. too.

All individual gifts should be securely tagged with the child’s name and last initial, and age, signed “from Santa”. Then all individual gifts for one child need to be put into one large gift bag/box, again securely labeled with the child’s name and age, so the gifts won’t get separated.   Tuck the Christmas card with receipts into this final bag/box.  (Dollar Tree has large gift bags and bike bags.) No garbage bags please.  Many times when children are removed from home, their belongings are tossed into garbage bags for transport.  Traumatic, to say the least, so we don’t want to remind them of that.)

Please write “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS!” on the gifts!  : )

Delivery-

Completed gifts should be dropped off at Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian Church on Odell Owen Road in Lexington, NC between 9-5 Monday-Thursdays or 9-12:45 Fridays.  Please leave your name and address, and the child(ren)’s name(s) so I can check it off my master list.

I’ll deliver gifts to DSS throughout the season, so social workers can get them to the families as they schedule home visits.

SO, when do the gifts need to be delivered?  ASAP!  But at least by December 10th.

Questions?  Ask?  I’ll do my best.

Again, please share this with your co-workers, friends, Facebook community, etc.  so all the children have their gift wishes granted this year.  Thank you, and God bless you.