House of Mercy Seeks Toys, Volunteers for Christmas Program

 House of Mercy is requesting volunteers and donations of new toys, clothing, gift cards and gift-wrapping supplies for the nonprofit humanitarian organization’s annual “Christmas with Mercy” free holiday gift program for children of its clients in need.

House of Mercy, located at 8170 Flannery Court in Manassas, Va., is asking to receive donations before Saturday, Dec. 13, when the agency will distribute gifts to eligible clients who registered in this year’s program, said House of Mercy Executive Director Ann Cimini. The registered clients, of low income, number about 200 families, which include collectively nearly 400 children, she said.

Gift donations should be unwrapped and suitable for a child aged newborn through 14, Cimini said.

The agency also needs volunteers Dec. 9 through Dec. 12 to help sort and arrange gift selections and to otherwise prepare for distribution day, she said. Volunteers are needed on Dec. 13 to assist clients regarding gift choices and to wrap and distribute gifts. The event will be held in a building suite in the industrial park where the organization is located, Cimini said.

In addition, the agency seeks “baker elf” volunteers to sign up for the program. “We’re asking for baked treats and other goodies to set out for our clients and volunteers to munch on,” Cimini said.

Cimini anticipates a shortfall of gift donations for this year’s program, she said. House of Mercy partners with Toys for Tots®, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s annual Christmas toy drive, to help support the agency’s Christmas program, in its fourth year.

“Toys for Tots provides the lion’s share of gifts for our program, but the campaign suffered record low donations last holiday season. That trend is in place again for this Christmas,” Cimini said. Consequently, “we are relying heavily this year on individuals and civic groups to help us provide gifts to these children in need,” she stated.

Another factor in the expected shortfall is the economy’s uneven recovery, especially since U.S. government sequestration, which has had a negative impact on donations as a whole to local nonprofit organizations, Cimini said.

“Those who provide food, clothing and limited financial assistance to families in need, as we do, have seen a decrease in donations and an increase in the number of people we serve,” she said.

“Christmas with Mercy” program donations can be dropped off at House of Mercy’s donation center, located at 8120 Flannery Court in Manassas. Donors can also place donated items, except for food, cash and gift cards, in the agency’s program drop boxes, located at The UPS Store in Gainesville (7371 Atlas Walk Way), Retro Fitness in Manassas (11714 Sudley Manor Drive) and in the foyer of Hooters in Manassas (8503 Rixlew Drive), Cimini said.

Additionally, to help make donating easy during this year’s program, she said, House of Mercy has created “Christmas with Mercy” wish list gift registries at Kohl’s, Target and Amazon. Prices of items listed range from about $15 to $25. Listed selections can be purchased in the stores or online and shipped directly to House of Mercy.

To find the program lists online, click “TargetLists” at the top of the home page at www.target.com, “Registries” on www.kohls.com and “Wish List,” and then “Baby Registry” on www.amazon.com. Then type “House of” as the first name and “Mercy” as the last name of the organization. (Typing “House of Mercy” in Amazon’s initial search box under “Wish List” brings visitors to the gift registry of an organization of the same name in Rochester, N.Y.)

Under “AmazonSmile,” Amazon’s charity support program, shoppers logging onto www.amazon.com can also designate the local agency (“House of Mercy, Roman Catholic, Manassas, Va.”) to receive a percentage of the total amount they spend shopping on the site. An alternative designation is “Missionaries of Our Lady of Divine Mercy,” Cimini said.

For more information or to sign up for a volunteer shift or as a “baker elf,” visit www.houseofmercyva.org and click “Our Causes” and then click “Christmas with Mercy.” Both groups and individuals are welcome as volunteers, Cimini said.