From our Steward Kate Hennigan
Dear Members it time for our Secret Santa Shopper network,
I am very pleased to share that we are opening our BCYF Secret Santa Program this week and I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join our army of Elves!
To register to become a Secret Santa Shopper, please use this link to complete a brief registration form: 2025 BCYF Secret Santa – Shopper Registration Form
For those of you that are new, or have been referred by a friend, here is a little more information:
Our BCYF Network of Community Centers has the privilege of serving some pretty amazing children, teens and families that live in every neighborhood in Boston. It has been our experience through our service that we all have some very special kids and families that we work with that could use a little extra help this time of year. Now more than ever we see more and more need for assistance and we are asking for help.
How our Secret Santa Program works: Staff members from our BCYF Community Centers will be on the lookout for families, children and teens that may need a little extra help over the holiday season. They then will complete a referral form to add that youth onto our Secret Santa List.
For little kids that believe in Santa, the staff may ask the kiddos to write a letter to Santa, or they will pick up on hints, and/or speak to parents and other family members about gifts. The amazing staff will then give our BCYF Elf network the information about gifts and family needs and we add that to our database. For teens we usually do this in a less formal way. Our staff will know what teens need a coat or hat or warm clothes, or will know what they are interested in (reading, crafting/art, sports.)
We ask that shoppers spend about $75 per child. Once a name is added, we will then assign a shopper to that child/teen/family via email. The shopper will receive a little information via email about the child/teen and gift suggestions as well as clothing sizes if that is what is needed/wanted.
We do not share any identifiable information about that child/teen or their families. Our staff are very protective of our families and we do our best to keep this program anonymous and confidential. Once shopping is complete, I ask that each Shopper email me to let us know so that we can coordinate gift pick up and drop off.
Shoppers will begin receiving their assignments beginning the week of November 24th, 2025. If you are having gifts mailed directly to the BCYF Central office or are shopping from our Amazon wish list, please have them delivered by Friday, December 12th, 2025.
If you are coordinating a pick-up/drop-off with one of our team Captains, please plan on doing that during the week of December 8th – December 13th, 2025 so that we can get the presents to our Elf headquarters in time for delivery to parents and guardians before Christmas.
Shopping Info:
– If the budget of $75 per child is too much for you, I am happy to pair you with another shopper to cosponsor a child or you can select an item off our Amazon Wish List, and we can email you that information.
–PLEASE DO NOT WRAP THE GIFTS. We deliver these items to the Community Centers unwrapped in the event that the family would like to wrap them themselves (using their own Santa wrapping paper/ or use their own tradition)
–Please use a post it or tape a label to the gift with the child’s name on it and your name. This will be removed before delivery, but will help us keep track of items.
–If you would prefer to not shop, but would like to make a donation… WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH, but if you would like to purchase a gift card, we can use that to purchase gifts for a child.
-The most common stores that our shoppers use are: AMAZON, TARGET, MARSHALLS, TJ MAXX and HOMEGOODS, WALMART, 5 Below as well as food venues like Dunks, Starbucks, Burger King, etc for teens. We also accept gift cards to grocery stores for families in this program.
Just as an FYI- the TJX Stores (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods) all have great deals on clothes and toys.
– We will always accept NEW hats, gloves, scarfs, socks for children and teens. Other times of the year we accept gently used clothes, but for this program we hope to give the kiddos new clothes.
If you are shopping on Amazon and would like to have items shipped directly to us, I can provide you with my office address/ shipping info, or you can ship it to one of our Captain’s Houses. JUST LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE.
Once we start providing the children’s list information to you, I am happy to give you some more specific suggestions.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Kate or Graham at: Kate Hennigan at 781-956-2637 or email: kate.hennigan@boston.gov.
Lastly, I would like to recognize that we have been able to support hundreds of children over the years that this program has operated. In the event that this email finds you in a situation where you no longer would like to, and/or are no longer able to participate as a shopper, please know that we are so grateful to have received your support. Your generosity and kindness has been such a huge part of the success of this program and we at BCYF wish you and your family all the best over the upcoming holiday season and share warm wishes for you to have a happy and healthy new year in 2026!In gratitude, Kate and the BCYF Elves—
Kate Hennigan
| Regional Program ManagerBoston Centers for Youth & Families1483 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120617-961-6946 | kate.hennigan@boston.govBoston.gov/BCYF Every Neighborhood, One Mission |