Spirit of Giving
Sunshine Place’s Spirit of Giving Program matches families in need of gifts for their children during the December holiday season with community members who want to help. This program provides assistance to families who live in or attend the Sun Prairie Area School District. Family registration for this year’s Spirit of Giving program is closed. If you applied you will receive an email with your application status on Tuesday, November 18th.
Sponsor sign-up for the 2025 Spirit of Giving is now FULL! Thank you so much to everyone who sponsored a family this year! If you signed up to sponsor a family you should have received a confirmation email with gift drop-off instructions. You can also scroll to the bottom section of this page for sponsor details. Gifts must be dropped off ON December 10th, at Heartland Church. Please email spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org if you have questions.
It’s not too late to support Spirit of Giving with a Gift
Click the button below and enter “Spirit of Giving” in the Donor Note.
Here’s how the Spirit of Giving Program works:
November 1st to 15th (closes at 11 PM) families in need can register for the program and submit gift wishes for their children. On November 16th the database opens (accessed via this website) that shows the specific wishes of hundreds of kids. These are all Sun Prairie families who qualify to participate. Names are kept anonymous but age, gender and school are listed.
Community members can choose children to sponsor by family (we will have families with 1 child or multiple children). Sponsors should plan to spend about $50 per child. Families get sponsored very quickly, but the database will remain open until the first week of December.
Once you sign-up to sponsor, you’ll receive detailed information about how and when to bring your unwrapped gifts to Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd, Sun Prairie so that we can get them ready to give to the families.
Volunteers work together to make gift pick up a smooth process. Gifts are distributed on Saturday, December 13th. Families bring their confirmation emails and drive through the parking lot of Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd, Sun Prairie to receive their gifts, never even needing to leave their cars!
Spirit of Giving | I Need Help
Who is Eligible?
Families in need of holiday gift assistance must meet the following requirements:
- Need gift assistance for children ages birth to 18
- Children must be either attending school in the Sun Prairie Area School District or living in the city of Sun Prairie, (if your child/ren do not attend school because they are not school-aged, they are home-schooled, etc.).
- Online registration opens on November 1. Families have to apply online by November 15th at 11 PM and should receive a confirmation email.
How to Apply?
If your family has applied for and qualified for the free or reduced lunch program for the current school year, you will be contacted by the Sun Prairie Area School District Nutrition Department via phone, text, and/or email on November 1, with information on how to register your family for the Spirit of Giving program.
If your family lives in Sun Prairie and you are in need of holiday gift assistance, but you did not apply or qualify for the free and reduced school lunch program, your children are not yet school-aged, or they are home-schooled, please contact spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org.
FAMILY SCHEDULE
Registration:
Family registration opens November 1st and closes November 15th at 11 PM. If you have successfully registered you should receive a Spirit of Giving confirmation email. Please reach out to spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org with questions.
Gift Pick Up Information for Registered Families:
WHEN: Saturday, December 13th between 8 AM and 11 AM.
WHERE: Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd., Sun Prairie
Please watch for signs directing traffic on the day of pick up. You will receive an email with your confirmation FAM number and pick up information. This email is REQUIRED for gift pick up.
If the registered family member cannot make it on the pick up date, they should send someone with their Spirit of Giving confirmation email to pick up gifts for their family. All gifts must be picked up on distribution day during the designated time.
Spirit of Giving | I Want to Help
What Does it Mean to be a Spirit of Giving Sponsor?
Make a local family’s December holidays a bit more magical this year by sponsoring gifts for their children. Sponsor one family, or several! Spirit of Giving sponsors are committing to purchasing and dropping off gifts for the children in their sponsored family, helping us ensure each child in a sponsored family receives a gift to celebrate the holidays.
In addition to community member sponsorships, Spirit of Giving partners with several area businesses, organizations, and churches who provide funding, and help us ensure every child on our list is sponsored for a gift. If you choose someone to sponsor at your church, you may be working with Sunshine Place’s Spirit of Giving Program to help Sun Prairie kids! If you are a business, church, or other organization that would like to sponsor families for Spirit of Giving, or make a donation to our progam, please contact spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org.
SPONSOR SCHEDULE
Choose a Family to Sponsor:
The Spirit of Giving database of families to sponsor opens on November 16th and will remain open until every family is sponsored. A link to sign up as a sponsor will be posted to the top of this web page when sponsorship opens.
Gift Purchasing:
- You are committing to purchase a gift for every child in the family you choose to sponsor.
- Each child’s wish list includes 1-2 items. You may choose any items from the wish list spending approximately $50 per child. If you are not able to find the exact wishes within this amount, something similar is perfectly acceptable.
Gift Drop-Off:
Sponsors must drop off all gifts at Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd, Sun Prairie, on Wednesday, December 10th, from 7:30 to 10:30 am OR from 2:30 to 7:30 pm, to be prepped for distribution. Drop-off will be set up as a drive-through and volunteers will come to your car to collect your gifts. Gifts should be:
- UNWRAPPED but you may put gifts inside of a holiday gift bag if you choose (no tissue paper please)
- Place each child’s unwrapped gifts in their own bag – gift bag or otherwise – and label each bag with the child number (Child 1, Child 2, etc.). Next, place that bag in a larger family bag and label the larger bag with the family number (i.e. FAM-004). It is VERY IMPORTANT that you label each child’s bag and their corresponding family bag.
Please email spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org if you have questions or would like more information.