It's hard to believe it's that time of year again already, but it is -- and we couldn't be more excited! This is our NINTH YEAR, and we couldn't have gotten here without you!

So many Christmases ago, Michelle and I decided we wanted to do a small thing: donate toys to children in need over the holidays. We chose Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center because they had just saved the life of my firstborn son, Harry, when he arrived in this world 5 weeks early. 

When we started to see what our small thing was turning into, we partnered with Providence Saint Joseph Foundation so we could expand the scope of our giving. Providence connected us with five organizations in the Los Angeles area that needed help and we are honored to be able to contribute to their causes each year: Covenant House California, Family Promise of the Verdugos, Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, and the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and the Greater East Valley. Check out the links at the bottom for more information on each organization.

Incredibly, we've raised more than $170,000 over the past eight years, thanks to the generosity of our families, friends, co-workers, and complete strangers. All donations are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE and 100% of all donations gets spent by our team of volunteers on our shopping day, AKA The Best Day Of the Year! We spend a few hours madly shopping for toys, clothes, coats, hats, socks, underwear, diapers, toiletries, and gift cards and we send it all in a big truck off to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center where it gets sorted based on our organizations' needs.

We've spent time at each organization and we see how hard their folks work to try and help as many people and families as they can. It inspires us each year and we've seen how our small efforts CAN and DO make a difference.

Please give if you can. If you can't, we understand: there are so many opportunities to do great things for those in need during the holidays, so if you're tapped out, good for you and good for the world! Regardless, please consider passing this message on to others. This drive has become one of the greatest blessings of our lives. Let's keep it going.

We're so grateful to you.

Mike, Lauren, Harry, and Ben Hissrich 

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For the full backstory on how we got started and more information on our mission, please visit our website: http://thehopeendeavor.org 

For more information on the organizations we give to, please go to their websites:

Covenant House California: https://covenanthousecalifornia.org

Family Promise of the Verdugos: http://familypromiseverdugos.org

Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission: http://www.hopeofthevalley.org

San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission: https://sfvrescuemission.org

Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and the Greater East Valley: https://bgcburbank.org