Mission: St. Louis Affordable Christmas Goes Virtual

Mission: St. Louis, a nonprofit organization located in the heart of North St. Louis, coordinates an annual Affordable Christmas event that allows under-resourced families to choose and provide Christmas gifts for their children at a fraction of the cost. Due to the ongoing pandemic, Mission: St. Louis had to think outside the box to ensure the health and safety of participants. In a shift that we’ve seen from many retailers and restaurants this year, Affordable Christmas is taking place via an online shopping and curbside pick-up format that kicked off earlier this week.

Affordable Christmas

Now in its 14th year, Mission: St. Louis is able to stock their Affordable Christmas store through monetary donations, dozens of toy drop-off locations around the city and online wishlists that allow contributors to purchase items and have them shipped directly to the Mission: St. Louis office. Following an economically challenging year for many, Mission: St. Louis has a goal of serving 1,000 children from 300 local families during this year’s event. In the first two days of the Affordable Christmas online store, more than 175 families in need have already completed their Christmas shopping experience. In addition to the monetary and wishlist donations received from the community, Project Backpack St. Louis, another local nonprofit, provided 300 backpacks filled with school supplies to further support Affordable Christmas families during a time when many are virtual learning without access to necessary supplies.

Facilisgroup Pitches In

For the second year in a row, Facilisgroup employees were able to assist Mission: St. Louis with their Affordable Christmas. In addition to providing toys and other wishlist items, small groups of Facilisgroup team members and their families were able to go to the Mission: St. Louis facility to help sort and catalog toys for the Affordable Christmas online shopping experience. The COVID-friendly volunteer experience allowed Facilisgroup employees to learn more about Mission: St. Louis and Affordable Christmas while helping to make the Christmas season special for local families.

Beyond the Holidays

When they’re not hosting Affordable Christmas, the Mission: St. Louis team is dedicated to the community year-round. Right now in St. Louis, one in five people are living in poverty. The organization aims to address and eradicate systemic poverty in the city by removing barriers to employment and education and fostering social and economic mobility through various programs and initiatives. Visit Mission: St. Louis’ website to learn more about the important work they’re doing and how you can help.