Cornerstones' Annual Drive Helps Families Provide Special Gifts For Children

RESTON, VA — Cornerstones, a social services nonprofit based in Reston, is encouraging Northern Virginia residents to support for its annual Gifts for Kids Drive.

Through Nov. 12, the public can register as a Gifts for Kids donor for the 2021 holiday season. As with its 2020 drive, Cornerstones is asking donors to purchase retail gift cards only — not toys — from Amazon, Target, Walmart, TJMaxx, Kohls, or other retailers in $25, $50, or $75 increments.

The gift cards should then be delivered to Cornerstones on Nov. 15-17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. John Neumann Catholic Church at 11900 Lawyers Road in Reston.

Donors may also coordinate with the Cornerstones team to provide gift cards in an amount that will cover a specific request from a child’s wish list.

“We have more than 800 wish lists from children to fulfill this year. Every donation is critical to helping us meet this ambitious goal,” Nate King, coordinator of In-kind Donations and Drives for Cornerstones, said in a statement Tuesday. “Our Gifts for Kids drive is a rewarding and meaningful opportunity for donors and volunteers to help ensure our youngest neighbors celebrate a meaningful and memorable holiday with their families.”

Cornerstones' goal is to help lower-income families struggling with economic instability, particularly due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, enjoy the holidays. Already stretched home budgets do not allow for extras like gift giving and celebrations, the nonprofit said.

Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornerstones’ Gifts for Kids drive is running concurrently with its Thanksgiving Food drive to help reduce the number of interactions for everyone involved and give families time to purchase gifts for their children.

All registered families will receive gift cards in lieu of physical gifts to ensure the safety of volunteers, donors, donation recipients, and staff.

Along with providing social services, Cornerstones, founded 50 years ago, also works with local, state, and national jurisdictions to encourage community investment in affordable housing, children and their families, and advancing racial and social equity.

Visit Cornerstones' website for more information on how to donate a gift card.

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