Each year, various organizations partner together to help community members purchase Christmas gifts for orphaned or needy children.

These are such wonderful and important opportunities for all of us to be reminded that we do have love to bring, and these opportunities are usually outlined to guide us to follow a few simple steps to bring tangible items to children who would cherish them.

I grew up in foster care.

Through the years, my name was on many lists for love to show up.

And love showed up.

The additionally personal opportunity – and challenge – for bereaved mothers, is the realization that we also have the opportunity to intentionally select gifts for a hurting child who is at or near the same age our child would be.

You don’t have to become that specific, of course.  But, the extension of endurance, the opportunity to stretch your courage, is there.

So this year, if you’re considering purchasing Christmas gifts for a child in need, I thought I’d share a few resources with you to help support this wonderful, but challenging, opportunity.

To Bring Love to Local Children

Here are some ways you might get connected with “wish lists” of local orphaned or needy children:

• Your local grocery store may have a Christmas tree with wish lists placed as ornaments on it.
• Your local churches may have wish list information.
• Your local children’s hospital may have a wish list for the children healing there.
• Local children’s group homes or battered women’s shelters may have information if they have a website.
• Do a simple google search for things like “Adopt an Angel ____” and enter in your city or town.
• Salvation Army.
• United Way.

“Adopt an Angel” (Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, West Virginia)

If you’d like to be a part of this program, you can select the age and gender of the child, and Adopt an Angel will email you the details and the child’s Christmas wish list.  You can then mail your items either directly to Adopt an Angel or to stillbirthday headquarters, at: The M0M Center, 11117 N. Oak Trafficway, Kansas City MO 64155.

To Bring Love to International Children

There are various charity organizations that aim to bring support to children in different struggling conditions from various countries.

• Operation Christmas Child
• Children’s Hunger Fund
• You can do a google search for others.

To Be Supported for Your Courage

Because intentionally shopping for gifts for a child, particularly if you’re choosing a child of the same age and/or gender as would be your beloved baby not alive, can be a healing but also a difficult thing to do, stillbirthday simply wants to thank you for your courage, and to offer to you that this doesn’t have to be something you do alone.

Meet Your SBD Doulas

If you are choosing to purchase items for an orphaned or needy child, please know that if you’d like, this can be a lovely time for you to meet your local stillbirthday doulas.  If you’d like to have a little moral support during your healing – but possibly challenging – shopping trip, you can view our listing of doulas, and see who is nearest to you.  Send the doula an email, and just tell her that you want to purchase Christmas gifts for an orphaned child, and the two of you can arrange a time when she can meet you at a store.  You can push the cart, make the selections and purchase the items for the Christmas wish list, and just have a chance to share your story with your doula.  She’ll just be there for you, simply to walk alongside you and listen, and to bring the tissues if needed.

This is a very individual, non-threatening and wonderful time for you simply to get to know your nearest SBD doulas, and to allow your story to be heard.

The gifts you purchase are about bringing joy and hope to a child.  But your decision to bring such joy and hope is about you.  It’s about your sacrifice, your courage, your love.  Your stillbirthday doula simply wants to bring some free and tangible validation to you for these things you bring.

For this opportunity to meet your nearest stillbirthday doula, please click here for our doula listing, and send a brief email to the nearest doulas (you can certainly email more than one).  Your doula won’t make any purchases but is simply there to be with you for a couple of hours to walk alongside you as you shop and listen as you share.