Every child deserves joy at Christmas.
The Christmas Gift Drive spreads hope and joy each year by giving incarcerated or struggling parents access to presents to give their children at Christmas. Through partnerships with dozens of local organizations and Ohio prisons, these families experienced dignity, joy and connection through the simple act of giving in 2025.
The Heart Behind the Christmas Gift Drive
The Christmas Gift Drive began with one simple hope: to help incarcerated parents in Ohio create real Christmas memories with their children. Children with an incarcerated parent are four times more likely to end up in prison themselves. But when they can see, hug, and share a moment of connection with their parent—even once a year—that risk drops by a third. So when a child opens a gift and hears, “I love you,” it can change their story.
Each year, volunteers from Crossroads and local churches come alongside our partner, The Four-Seven, to host special celebrations called Christmas Miracle. This year, about 2,500 children will experience these moments at 29 prisons across Ohio.
What began in prisons has now expanded beyond those walls, extending to families in need across Ohio and Kentucky. Through community partnerships, over 6,000 children this season will receive gifts chosen through “Christmas Shops”—pop-up stores where parents can select gifts with love and dignity.