Goodwill and Kenosha Christmas Charities Spread Holiday Joy

Goodwill Staff Share the Spirit of the Holidays

The holidays are a special time for families and children. That’s why Holiday House – a consortium of agencies including Kenosha Christmas Charities, Inc., Kenosha County and Goodwill – come together to provide seasonal and holiday events.

“Holiday House is about giving to something or someone other than yourself,” says Sherri Dabbs, Holiday House Coordinator, Kenosha County. “It’s the true spirit of the holidays and paying it forward.”

Kenosha Christmas Charities, Inc. is the major funding source for Holiday House events. Goodwill primarily staffs Holiday House. Every year, Holiday House spreads joy through two events:

• Winter Wraps – Distribution of coats, hats, mittens/gloves, scarves, boots and other winter attire. These items are donated by Kenosha Goodfellows, Goodwill and community organizations. The goal is to help ensure children stay warm during cold weather and can continue to attend school and participate in outdoor activities.
• Christmas Toy & Gift Cards for Groceries Distribution – Children receive one toy valued at $20 or more. The event is set up so parents or guardians can choose gifts for their children, providing a sense of ownership and personalization to their child’s interests and needs. Families can also receive gift cards for groceries that can help them meet their basic needs through the holiday season.

In 2023, Holiday House served 3,175 children and their families with coats, 3,821 children with toys and 1,475 families with gift cards.

“I love giving back to the community and witnessing the happiness it brings to families,” Dabbs says.

Program History

Kenosha Christmas Charities – also known as Goodfellows – founded a candy and gifts distribution in 1931 to help meet the needs of area families, especially during the Christmas season. In the early years, Goodfellows took on the tasks of raising money and distributing toys and food baskets. As the distributions became more extensive, Goodfellows sought community support from local social and human service agencies and reached out to partner with Goodwill to oversee the registration process. The distribution became known as Holiday House and grew to include the winter wraps and toy and food card distributions. Over the years, Goodwill’s participation grew to coordinating and overseeing all Holiday House events including registration, event coordination, procurement and inventory.