Christmas for Kids

Santa helps distribute toys during Christmas for Kids' Night of Giving.

TODAY Toy Drive donations go to hundreds of nonprofit family organizations located in all 50 states. Christmas for Kids is one such group. Find out about its mission below, and donate online to TODAY's Toy Drive here. 

Everything's bigger in Texas, including work on behalf of needy kids and teens. 

Christmas for Kids, a non-profit located in Portland, Texas, helps more than 1,000 families every year with donations from TODAY's Toy Drive. 

They distribute many of their gifts during a Night of Giving, where organizers create a North Pole complete with the Polar Express, a live nativity and pictures with Santa.

Children walk through Candy Cane Lane, where volunteer elves fill up the kids' empty stockings with donations. Gifts are covered in a dark bag so kids can't peek at the presents before Christmas morning. 

Christmas for Kids

Volunteer elves help distribute toys during Christmas for Kids' Night of Giving.

"The TODAY Show Toy drive has meant everything to this organization," organizer Amy Collins wrote to TODAY, adding she's been surprised every year by the top-notch quality of the toys. "Every year you help bring a smile to a child's face with the wonderful gifts you have donated."

Christmas for Kids has worked for more than 19 years on behalf of South Texas families.

"We simply want each family we serve to enjoy the spirit of Christmas without the financial burden," she wrote. "All of this is free and open to the community. We hope to engage the community in the spirit of giving and provide our families with a sense of community."

The majority of their recipients are families led by young single mothers, grandparents raising grandchildren, foster parents and families who have fallen on hard times. Their goal is to help alleviate burdens from families who are already struggling just to make it day to day. 

Donate online to TODAY's Toy Drive here. 

Read about other nonprofit organizations served by TODAY's Toy Drive.