MENDOCINO CO., 11/21/25 – The Mendocino County Office of Education is accepting donations for its annual holiday gift drive benefiting homeless students across the county.
Now in its 10th year, the gift drive benefits more than 280 students annually. Participating students provide their age and gift preferences, allowing sponsors to easily purchase meaningful gifts. Requests range from clothing and dolls to beauty kits and sports equipment.
MCOE Foster and Homeless Youth Service Coordinator Blythe Post has helped organize the event in recent years. She said the drive began after staff observed the added stress homeless students often feel during the holidays when they can’t celebrate like their peers. “This drive ensures that every child our agency supports experiences some joy this winter,” Post said.
According to MCOE, a student is considered homeless if they lack a “fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence,” such as sharing housing due to loss or hardship, staying in motels or trailers without alternative accommodations, or living in cars, parks or other places not designed for sleeping.
“For families without stable housing, the holidays can be especially challenging,” MCOE County Superintendent Nicole Glentzer said in a statement. “This effort allows us to share comfort and kindness with children who might otherwise go without.”
How to donate
Donors can contribute in multiple ways. They can fill a gift request by stopping by the MCOE River Campus lobby (2240 Old River Road, Ukiah) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to select a gift tag representing a child’s holiday wish and age. Each tag corresponds to a gift valued at about $25. Donors then return with a wrapped gift no later than Friday, Dec. 12.
The drive also accepts monetary gifts so staff can purchase holiday items for students. A $25 donation provides a gift for one child. Donations can be made by check to MCOE Foster & Homeless Youth Services, 2240 Old River Road, Ukiah, or online at https://paybee.io/@mendoschools@3.
“Every small contribution shows a student that they are seen and they matter,” Post said. “That sense of care and connection is what the holidays are about.”
For more information about the MCOE’s gift drive, contact Brandy Nord, MCOE Foster and Homeless Youth Services program assistant at (707) 367-7919 or bnord@mcoe.us.