Christmas Needs

The Christmas season is on us, and we are grateful that you want to help the Community Shelter’s clients at this time.

Here are some suggestions for much-needed items and support.

1. Make a Shelter child’s Christmas special with gifts – FULFILLED

2.  Prepare a meal for our meal clients

Most of our dinner meal needs for the holidays have already been filled by church, family and organizational groups, but we have a big need for breakfast and lunch providers. Please visit Available Dates for a list of meal dates.

You can prepare your meal at home or in our commercial kitchen – limited to four people in the kitchen due to Covid. Or you can purchase meals from a local restaurant. 

Due to Covid, we are limited to four volunteers in the kitchen. Volunteers are not able to go into the dining room but can greet clients over the meal line.  The number of meals needed varies by day and meal. Click here to get started.

3. Make Christmas desserts for meal clients

We need desserts every day for 75-100 individuals. Click here to sign up for a date.

4. Provide a Christmas Tree with detachable ornaments for a family room.

We have 15 family rooms, typically with pre-school or elementary children. This velcro-type tree would provide hours of fun for our toddler, kids, children to decorate and keep them entertained during the Christmas season.(Available at Amazon and other stores.)

5. Make a monetary donation or pledge to the Shelter.

Many Shelter residents and meal clients are more concerned about losing their job, being unable to pay their rent and utilities or even purchase food than they are about Christmas presents. You can help make their lives easier by making a donation that the Shelter staff can direct to our clients’ most-urgent needs. Two ways to donate online.  Donate through PayPal here or by credit card here. You can also send a check to Community Shelter of Union County, 160 Meadow St., Monroe, NC 28110. Please write CHRISTMAS in the note or instruction field so we can honor your holiday intention.

6. Provide wrapping supplies.

Gifts that will be given to children in the Shelter or recently rehoused with their families will be wrapped by the individual families. We could use wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, tape, scissors, etc.

7. Fill food baskets 

We will distribute  food baskets at two December drive-thru pantries. Sign up for needed items at This link.

Click to contribute through our PayPal or by credit card here.

You can also send a check to

Community Shelter of Union County, 160 Meadow St., Monroe, NC 28110.

Please write CHRISTMAS in the note or instruction field so we can honor your holiday intention.

Download the donation form as a pdf.

Please mail to Community Shelter of Union County, 160 Meadow St., Monroe, NC 28110. Please write CHRISTMAS in Notes or Instructions.

How to deliver

If you have donations, please bring them to our facility at 160 Meadow Street in Monroe any day from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Please avoid mealtimes of 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., noon to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Bring to the door marked “Donation Drop Off” accessed by the back parking lot.