Lake City Holiday Project

The Lake City Holiday Project (LCHP) is a partnership between human service providers, donors and the NE Seattle Community. This project has provided gifts to children from low income families in North Seattle for more than 40 years now. Over that time, the project has provided toys and clothing to thousands of children from infancy to age 18. Families and children are clients of the following North Seattle human service providers: Akin (formerly Children’s Home Society), the Lake City Collective, LIHI/Meadowbrook View Apartments, Olympic Hills Elementary, the Center for Human Services, and Solid Ground Magnuson.

Implementation of the Lake City Holiday Project brings together groups and individuals from all over NE and N Seattle. Over 150 churches, community groups, business groups, and families in our area donated gifts, money, and time in 2025 to support our cause. We will accept donations of gifts at several locations around Lake City as well as donations of gift cards for families and cash donations for our team to purchase gifts for families. To learn more about how our program works, check out our FAQ.

Participate:

Donate: If you wish to use your credit card or PayPal to donate cash for the purchase of gifts and gift cards, you can use our DONATION PORTAL.

Volunteer: It takes dozens of volunteers to sort, bag, and transport gifts. It’s a wonderful opportunity for individuals, families, friend groups, and work groups to make a difference in our community. The volunteer sign-up for 2026 will open in November!

Wish List: Purchase an item from our Amazon Wish List and ship it directly to us! All items on the list are for children who do not have a direct sponsor. If you are pressed for time but would like to donate a gift this is a great option! We will publish the wishlist for 2026 in November.

Toy Drive: Beginning in mid-November, the following business in NE Seattle will host giving trees where you can take a tag or two and purchase specific items:

Kaffeeklatsch – 12513 Lake City Way NE Suite H
Hellbent Brewing – 13035 Lake City Way NE
Lake City Autoworks – 2825 NE 120th St
Van Gogh Coffeehouse – 8210 35th Ave NE
WaFd Bank – 7334 35th Ave NE
Homestreet Bank – 8200 35th Ave NE
Cafe Javasti Wedgwood – 8617 35th Ave NE
Cafe Javasti Maple Leaf – 8410 5th Ave NE
Math’n’Stuff – 8926 Roosevelt Way NE
Watershed Pub and Kitchen – 10104 3rd Ave NE
Rudy’s Barbershop – 3620 NE 45th St
Flooring America – 3605 NE 45th St
Magnuson Athletic Club – 7751 63rd Ave NE

Drop Off Locations: Toy drive donations can be dropped off in our barrels at the following sites:

Kaffeeklatsch – 12513 Lake City Way NE Suite H
Lake City Autoworks – 2825 NE 120th St
WaFd Bank – 7334 35th Ave NE
Rudy’s Barbershop – 3620 NE 45th St
Flooring America – 3605 NE 45th St
Math’n’Stuff – 8926 Roosevelt Way NE
Maple Leaf Lutheran Church – 10005 32nd Ave NE

Business Connections: Would you like to offer a positive holiday experience at your business? Connect your customers to an organization who supports children in need during this giving season. Displaying a Lake City Holiday Project informational poster and/or gift tags makes a difference for your community. To learn more, please contact us.

Important Dates:

September 30, 2026 – Family Registration Begins
October 30, 2026 – Family Registration Ends
November 2, 2026 – Begin Sponsor Assignments
November 9, 2026 – Green Tag Toy Drive Displays and Barrels go out
December 7, 2026 – Stryder’s Annual Tailgate and Toy Drive at Hellbent Brewery
December 7, 2026 – Sponsorships and Donations Due
December 10, 2026 – Baggings Starts
December 13 2026 – Bagging Ends
December 13, 2026 – Stryder’s Annual Tailgate and Toy Drive at Hellbent Brewery
December 16, 2026 – Distribution Day

The Lake City Holiday Project began in 1986 as the Holiday Helpers program, designed by employees of the City of Seattle’s Neighborhood Office in Lake City (aka Lake City Little City Hall). Several years later, program sponsorship shifted to the Children’s Home Society, where it stayed for several more years. In 2000, Maple Leaf Lutheran Church in Meadowbrook (MLLC) adopted the program where it was renamed the Lake City Holiday Project. Finally, in 2008, MLLC relinquished the reins to Meadowbrook Community CARE (MC2), a community non-profit organization dedicated to enriching North Seattle through services that support, educate, and engage the community.

In Memoriam

From time to time we will honor friends and colleagues who have made a great impact on our program. This year, we would like to recognize our friend, Stryder Wegener.