Princeton ISD families needing help with Christmas gifts and a holiday meal can now begin applying for assistance through Princeton Gives.

For 17 years, the annual holiday assistance effort was known as Angel Tree before being renamed Princeton Gives last year. The program, which began as the school district transportation department’s “Fill the Bus” initiative, has grown into a communitywide effort and has been adopted by the Princeton Lions Club as its signature local service project.

The program provides Christmas gifts for children as well as a box of food for each participating family.

Eligible children include Princeton ISD students and their siblings who are not yet school age. Families qualify for the program if their children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Applications for this year’s program opened Oct. 14 and run through Friday, Nov. 20. Families who believe they qualify or need assistance with the application process should contact the counselor at their child’s campus.

Community members can help Princeton Gives by sponsoring an individual child, sponsoring an entire family or making a monetary donation.

Sponsors are asked to spend $75 per child for new, unwrapped Christmas gifts. Residents who want to sponsor a child but are unable to shop can contribute the money instead, and program volunteers will purchase the gifts.

Donations of less than $75 are also accepted and will be combined with other contributions to help provide gifts for participating children.

Monetary donations can be made online with a credit or debit card through the Princeton Gives payment portal or in person at any Princeton ISD campus or the district administration office.

Donations also can be made at Peoples Bank, 100 Cole St.; SouthState Bank, 1490 Princeton Oaks Drive; or the Princeton-Lowry Crossing Chamber of Commerce, 123 W. Princeton Drive, Suite 200. Checks should be made payable to the Princeton Lions Club.

Gift drop-off begins Monday, Dec. 7. Sponsors should attach a removable label bearing the child’s identification number to the gifts and deliver them to the Princeton ISD Administration Building, 804 Mabel Ave.

In addition to the Christmas gift program, Princeton Gives conducts a districtwide food drive to provide a holiday meal for participating families.

This year’s food drive will run from Tuesday, Oct. 27 through Nov. 20. Food donations can be dropped off at any Princeton ISD campus, the district administration office or Culleoka Water Supply Corp., 3388 FM 982.

Additional information, including the online donation portal, is available through the Princeton ISD Princeton Gives webpage: princetonisd.net/parent-resources/princeton-gives.

Stay informed, and support your local community newspaper, subscribe to The Princeton Herald