How Does Our Program Work?

1. NC & SC COUNTIES SERVED: In North Carolina we serve Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Iredell and Gaston Counties only. In South Carolina we serve only York County.

2. ACCEPT REFERRALS: We rely on agencies, churches, and the general public to recommend individuals and families in the community who need help this holiday season. WE DO NOT ACCEPT SELF-REFERRALS, it is our only rule. Requests for help for your own family will not be considered. We find that it is a blessing to be able to focus on others by giving the public an opportunity to refer their friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc for help this Christmas. It is an anonymous and free way to show someone in need that someone cares about them. We will give top priority in helping the working class population, those that often don't qualify for government assistance, but have a hard time making ends meet.

3. CHOOSE FAMILIES: Families are verified and chosen as we get commitments from people in the community that want to sponsor a family for Christmas. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to help everyone who is referred, and families are notified by the 2nd week in December if they are chosen. We recommend keeping your referral to yourself and not sharing it with the family if possible. If they are chosen, they will be surprised instead of disappointed if they knew about it and were not chosen.

4. GIFT LISTS: Families who are chosen will be contacted and asked to provide clothing sizes, and a need and a want for each family member. From there, our special angels get to work on providing a personalized and meaningful Christmas for the family in need.

5. DELIVERY: All gifts are carefully sorted and individually wrapped and labeled for each family. From there, the gifts are boxed up and delivered to the families before Christmas.

6. FOLLOW UP: At Hope Match, we do not seek to provide a one-time help for the family, but approach the family with a holistic approach to help them get back on their feet. We will commit to helping the families throughout 2013 on a case by case basis to continue to help the family become self-sufficient.

If you know of someone in need this holiday season, please fill out a HopeMatch Referral form. We will accept referrals from November 1st to November 30th.

We cannot guarantee that the person or family you refer will be able to be helped. If they are chosen, they will be notified by the 2nd week in December. If the person or family is receiving help from another Christmas charity, they will not be eligible for our program.

Click to open the HopeMatch Referral Form