Yes! FGT partners with more than 300 agencies to gather the exact wishes of Bay Area residents in need. The name and wish you see are actual children, seniors, and homeless adults being helped by our partner agencies.

When FGT commits to providing a gift, we take that commitment very seriously. To ensure that everyone on our list gets their gift, FGT actually distributes two copies of each wish card to the public with the hope that at least one gift is purchased. Generally, about 40% of all wish cards are not returned with a gift. If neither wish card for a gift is returned, warehouse volunteers shop at our Holiday Wish Drive warehouse “store” to find a gift that best fits the wish, and that gift is given to the recipient so no one goes without.

Every single recipient whose name is on a wish card will receive a holiday gift from FGT, whether their wish tag is returned or not. Unfulfilled wish cards are matched with the best option from our Holiday Wish Drive warehouse “store” prior to their assigned agency pickup time.

This doesn’t happen often but when it does, we have a system in place. If both copies of the same wish card are returned with a gift attached, our trusted warehouse staff and volunteers have a decision to make. The gift that best fits the listed first wish will remain with the wish card. The alternate gift will be moved to our Holiday Wish Drive warehouse “store” where it will be used for another unfulfilled wish which was not returned. All donated gifts are given to qualifying recipients during the holiday season through our partner agencies.

The Holiday Wish Drive “store” at the warehouse holds thousands of donated and Family Giving Tree bulk-purchased items for distribution during the Drive. Any gifts donated without a wish card or any duplicate gifts are placed here until a volunteer matches them with an unfulfilled wish card.

A baseball glove or mitt is described by the handedness of the intended wearer, rather than the hand on which the glove is worn: a glove that fits on the left hand—used by a right-handed thrower—is called a right-handed (RH) or "right-hand throw" (RHT) glove. Conversely, a left-handed glove (LH or LHT) is worn on the right hand, allowing the player to throw the ball with the left hand.

To the best of your ability, try to decipher what the name might mean. For example, the name “Maria-male” likely indicates that the child’s name is Maria but that they identify as a boy so choose a gift accordingly. Another example might be a senior who is asking for an infant activity mat so think “grandparent” and buy the gift requested. 

Many of our recipient organizations identify their clients as having special needs but only some are noted as such on the wish card. For example, an 18-year-old boy might want a learning toy that would be intended for a kindergartner (developmental issues); or a 25-year-old adult requested a large print book (sight issues). In general, the wishes reflect the true need so best to purchase what was requested.

Those recipients noted as homeless on a wish card are usually under the care of an agency that is assisting them in transitioning into some sort of housing. As with anyone moving into a new space, they are in need of household items in order to set up their new room or apartment.

If you don’t think the size matches the age, for example, if a wish card for a 13-year-old male asks for a size 4 pair of shoes, please purchase what you think is the appropriate size and include the receipt with the gift.

If you lose a wish card, please attach a piece of paper to your gift, listing as much information as you can recall from the original wish card and we will do our best to match it at the warehouse.

Because we accept late gifts in order to fulfill wishes on our waiting list, we encourage Drive Leaders to display the wish cards for as long as possible. However, when our Holiday Wish Drive has finished, leftover cards may be returned to the Family Giving Tree Holiday Wish Drive warehouse or our office in Milpitas. Please return leftover cards in an envelope labeled with your groups name.

Congratulations (and thank you!) on exceeding your expectations! Please get in touch with our office, and we will gladly mail out more cards ASAP. Every gift is another wish granted, more joy delivered to someone who needs it most during the holidays. You may also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at 408.946.3111 x212 to request additional wish cards.

The Virtual Giving Tree (VGT) allows you to fulfill a wish online. By making a donation to support a wish you enable FGT to bulk purchase those gifts listed on the VGT site and support running the Holiday Wish Drive.

As much as we'd love for all of the financial donations raised through the VGT to support just gifts, there would be no way for us to help the recipients we serve if we cannot use some funds to cover costs. Things like trucking, equipment rental for the warehouse, and shipping are just a few of the necessary expenses we incur to deliver gifts. Rest assured, we pour every dollar we can into the programs that benefit our recipients, especially in a year like this. Still, there would be no way for organizations like ours to continue our efforts to serve the community without apportioning funds as we do.

Yes. You can host a VGT and share the link with family and friends. All you need to do is sign-up as a Drive Leader and request a VGT be assigned to you during that portion of registration. Upon registering you'll receive an email 2-3 days later with instructions about set-up and customization. You'll be given a unique URL and password to manage the site through January 12th.

To sign-up as a Drive Leader, click here.

All VGTs remain live until midnight on January 12th.

South Bay (Sunnyvale)

If you plan to drop off any physical donations, please read the information below and plan to adhere to these operational procedures.

Drop-offs will be by appointment only (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The warehouse address is: 

1311 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089

No. Unfortunately, Family Giving Tree does not have the resources to pick-up from the hundreds of Drive Leaders who support us.