Since 2002, the mission of Birthday Wishes has been to support the social-emotional needs of families experiencing homelessness by helping build a foundation for healthy self-confidence and self-esteem through milestone celebrations.
Our goal is to encourage and enable caregivers to host celebrations at their shelter, so they can show their child just how much they love and value them.
Our programs work in collaboration and in conjunction with the mental health support programming offered by our shelter partner network to address trauma families may be experiencing so they can restore family and community connections.
Bring birthday joy, one project at a time.
Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Birthday Wishes offers fun, hands-on service projects for individuals, families, schools, and organizations. Every project helps bring the joy of a birthday celebration to children experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
Please contact us before starting a project so we can share our current highest-need items and guidelines.
Build Birthdays-in-a-Box or Wrap Most-Needed Gifts
Our Birthday-in-a-Box program delivers everything a caregiver needs to celebrate their child’s birthday from party supplies and cake mix to decorations and gifts, all packed in a brightly wrapped box. You can help by building full boxes or by purchasing and wrapping specific high-need gifts that go directly into our program.
How it works:
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Contact us for our current list of highest-need items and detailed instructions.
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Gather a group and either build at least 10 Birthday-in-a-Box kits or purchase and wrap individual gifts from our needs list.
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Schedule a time with Birthday Wishes staff to drop them off at our Sudbury, MA or Hicksville, NY office.
Organize a Fundraising Event
Share your commitment to Birthday Wishes with your friends and associates by hosting a virtual or in-person event at your home, office or in your community. Below are some ideas of how you can make an impact!
Virtual Fundraiser
Start a virtual fundraiser to help raise funds and awareness for Birthday Wishes mission. With a few simple clicks, you can start a campaign to share with your network. A virtual fundraiser offers unparalleled accessibility and reach, allowing people from all over the world to participate and contribute regardless of their location or physical limitations.
Donate Your Birthday
Celebrate you birthday by providing a homeless child with a birthday party. Donating your birthday to Birthday Wishes will allow us to provide birthday parties for kids and families currently in homeless shelters. Create your own unique fundraising page and goal to send to friends and family! Get started.
Host a Bake Sale or Car Wash
Raise funds by washing cars or selling pizza slices, candy, or baked goods at a school, sporting, or community event. Take the money you raise and make a monetary donation to Birthday Wishes, or go on a Birthday Wishes shopping spree for much needed gifts!
Host a Toy, Supply, or Gift Card Drive
Each month, Birthday Wishes distributes thousands of toys, gift cards, and party supplies to shelters. You can help by hosting a drive in your school, workplace, or community.
How it works:
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Contact us for our list of highest-need items.
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Plan when and where your drive will happen.
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Promote it with posters, social media, and word of mouth.
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Collect & Deliver brand-new, unwrapped items to our office or promote an Amazon Wishlist to have them ship directly to our office.
Plan a Mitzvah Project
A Birthday Wishes service project is a meaningful way to celebrate your Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, or other milestone.
Ideas include:
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Asking guests to bring a toy or donate in lieu of gifts.
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Designing party décor that can be donated afterward.
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Hosting a Birthday-in-a-Box Build Out or supply drive with family and friends.
