Gifts for Teens Director Elaine Benoit explains how GFT helps needy teens and families celebrate their holidays with joy. GFT creates special duffles and totes that are filled with personal, practical and fun gifts and gives them to needy San Jose teens.  Thanks for 24 years of success serving thousands of needy San Jose teens!https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p3a47aiOvLbkE7tfOlVMq415PBBupC7J/view?usp=sharinghttp://livepage.apple.com/














 
For more information or to donate please contact Elaine elaine@gifts4teens.org or call (408) 268-9654mailto:elaine@gifts4teens.org?subject=Gifts%20for%20Teens%20Contacthttp://elaine@gifts4teens.orgshapeimage_2_link_0
Gifts for Teens is sponsored by the American Association of University Women–San Jose (AAUW-San Jose) It is a tax exempt organization that has been working with teenagers in Silicon Valley since 1997http://www.aauwsanjose.org/

At holiday time several community organizations collect toys and gifts for younger children, but donations for teenagers are always low. This means many of the teens living below the poverty level in Santa Clara County will receive no gifts during the holiday season.

Gifts for Teens brightens the holidays for many of these overlooked young people with special gift bags brimming with fun and practical items. The goal is to provide a holiday gift to homeless and low-income teenagers who may not have any special attention at this festive time.

Each year Gifts for Teens volunteers gather donated items and gifts purchased with cash donations to fill girls totes and boys gym bags. These bags are given to needy teens living in San Jose. With support from a broad base of over 600 Silicon Valley volunteers, corporations, and community organizations approximately 1,500 bags are filled and given as presents.

With each donation, Gifts for Teens can make the holidays special for over a thousand young people.

Gifts for Teens

1997-2021

COVID-19 2021

As we at Gifts For Teens continue to follow the California guidelines for the Covid-19                    we wish all our many wonderful community volunteers and donors good health. 

While we all wait, Gifts for Teens has not been idle! Currently we are collecting and                    buying  bag contents for 504 bags - items the teens need and like. Generous donors  are already                  giving cash and fun and practical gifts.  Our buyers are actively pursuing sales and                     on-line bargains to fill teen totes and duffles. 

This year the need will be great. Our Gifts for Teens’ abundant bags will be                                          more appreciated by the low-income teenagers and homeless youth we serve!                             

Please stay in touch for news of our future 2022 plans and stay safe.

2019 MAJOR DONORS SD Trombetta Fundation - $15,000 A donation of $15,000 to buy zippered sturdy nylon duffel and tote bags. Thank you for your many years of continued generous support. 2019 San Jose Sharks Foundation Grant December 50/50 Raffle - $8,035 Gifts for Teens was featured at the SJ Sharks game on December 14,2019 as a beneficiary of the 50/50 Raffle. GFT received $8,035 in cash from the Sharks Raffle. Hitachi Vantara - $8,000 to purchase heavy warm sweatshirts Farrington Historical Fundation - $8,800 A generous cash donation of $8,800 to buy zippered, hooded sweatshirts for teens in the winter. Los Gatos History Club - membership gave a generous $1,500 cash donation and volunteers to assemble bags. The Pajama Program - Donated hundreds of warm cozy guy and girl Pajamas collected at their festive “Brunch for the Big Kids” fundraiser held on September 7, 2019. San Jose Sharks - A much appreciated donation of 420 Bobble Head Figures giving teens the fun of collecting collectibles Sharks players figures. National Charity League - Local chapter moms and daughters contributed 230 socks, 300 cosmetics, many games and tees. N.C.L. is a Teen Daughter and Mom philanthropic group. CISCO - 1,055 T-shirts and polos KIND Bars - 960 KIND Granola Bars, yummy, chocolate and oats snacks Sacred Heart Community Service - 3,000 School Supplies and 200 back packs including school notebooks, pens, USB Drives, calculators, erasers, folders and more. Sacred Heart Community Service - 680 girl’s pajama sets. Fun summer weight animal print pj sets for the girls. Jay Paul Company - December Assembly site space at 100 West San Fernando Street. Thanks for this large downtown space. 2018 MAJOR DONORS Silicon Valley Cares - $19,000 Broomstick Ball philanthropic women members raised and donated a major cash grant of $19,000 to buy sturdy duffels, sweatshirts and gift bag contents for 2018. SD Trombetta Fundation - Cash grant of $10,000 allowed GFT to purchase 1,300 cozy fleece blankets - one for each teen served in 2018 The Pajama Program - Donating 750 pairs of pajamas to keep teens comfortable and help them get a good nights sleep. Stephen and Lydia Franzese Family Fund - Donation of $2,000 used for buying 250 more pairs of warm Pajamas San Jose Sharks - 466 teal colored tee-shirts, very popular with the kids National Charity League - Local chapter moms and daughters contributed over 500 pairs of new socks for the teens Dr. Chris Corsa, DDS - Almaden dentist will collect and donate candy to add a sweet treat to each gift bag in 2018 Golfland - Donating admission tickets to play mini-golf to add to gift bags for many teens Weingarten Realty - donated December 2018 workspace at Cambrian Park Plaza for two weeks for the GFT team to complete assembly of over 1,300 gift bags http://elaine@gifts4teens.org

1997- 2021  24 YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIFTS FOR TEENS   

                 

                                         

From 1997 to 2021 GIFTS FOR TEENS has

supported needy Silicon Valley teenagers and 

families with lovely useful gifts for the holidays                                                                                                                                                               


We could not do this each year for 24

years without the continued support of our

amazing and loyal South Bay

community partners.


Thanks to all the community

volunteers and donors that make

GFT possible and successful



Thanks for 24 years of success serving thousands of needy teens!

We continually thank our donors for their

generosity in donating the

special items

that fill our bags each year