The United Way of Bucks County is hosting a gift card drive for teens whose families are struggling to get gifts for their children during the holidays. The drive will run until December 18, and all gift cards can be dropped off at the Fairless Hills office (413 Hood Blvd, Fairless Hills, PA 19030.)
We want to focus on kids who sometimes get overlooked around the holidays. Kids over the age of twelve have different needs than younger children. Toys and stuffed animals are not as exciting to them as a gift card might be. It gives them the opportunity to go get something to eat with friends or to shop for themselves. It’s both fun and empowering.
We want to make sure kids are receiving gift cards that they will be excited about. We suggest gift cards to trendy stores, fast food restaurants, or other places that teens frequent.
“Older kids have needs too,” said Matt Uhler, project coordinator of the 21st Century Community Learning Center. “I work with at-risk kids every day, and they just want the same things as all the other kids have. These are the things that get ignored at the holidays, like graphic t-shirts or jerseys, because they’re not as cute and fun to buy.”
All gift cards will be distributed to United Way partner agencies that serve teens and families with teens. The organization seeks to collect all gift cards and donations by Dec. 18. If you are short on time, you can mail a check to UWBucks with “Gift Card Drive” on the memo line or donate online and designate your gift to the drive. Thank you for your support!
About the contributor: Katie Pilot is the Marketing Assistant at UW Bucks. She is a senior at Villanova University with a major in Communication. Due to her passion for social justice, particularly the importance of education, she is excited to help get the word out about UWBucks’ great contributions to the county in hopes to get more people involved.