What is The Christmas Bureau?

www.cbofaustin.org

The purpose of The Christmas Bureau of Austin & Travis County is to reach all families who are in need and may have only the barest of necessities at Christmas time. Founded in 1964, we serve as an umbrella organization encompassing all community groups and citizens who work together in giving to the needy during the Christmas season. The Bureau matches needy families with agencies/sponsors who provide a suitable meal and/or toys and gifts to the applicants.

Where does the Bureau find the needy families? Beginning in early November, applications are taken in the neighborhood centers in Austin (East Austin, Rosewood-Zaragosa, South Austin, St. John s, and Blackland), Austin Housing Authority, and Travis County (North, West, South, and East Rural Centers). The neighborhood centers serve as a central location where people in need of food, clothing, health care, employment, or recreation can apply to receive help based upon City and State guidelines. Other sources of finding families in need are through The Salvation Army, Blue Santa, Brown Santas, Caritas of Austin, Church Women United, Ladies of Charity, St. Vincente de Paul of Austin, El Buen Samaritano, and various organizations providing social services to anyone needing assistance.

How does Alma Cruz, Bureau's Director, process all of the applications? All of the applications are coded and entered into a computer database custom designed to sort by Name, Street Address, Zip Code, City, and County and checked for duplication. At this time the applicants are ready to be adopted by sponsors. Sponsors are businesses, community organizations, families, or individuals.

How can you help? Many ways!

• SPONSORING A FAMILY: Sponsoring a family means providing a suitable uncooked holiday meal and toys for the children. We ask for you to contact the family within 24-48 hours and share with them the date and time you plan on delivering during the week before Christmas. You can sponsor a family three ways:
  1. Visit our office at 7600 Burnet Road #100 (Chase Bank Northcross) and select a family;
  2. Call our office at 453-3950 and a volunteer will select a family for you; or
  3. Register as a sponsor online! (beginning 12/1/2007) Any individual or group interested in sponsoring a family will be able to register themselves as a sponsor, and search through the families still needing sponsors by zip code, family size, language spoken, or a combination of the three.
     

     Once you have decided on a family or families to sponsor, call us at 453-3950 with the family number(s), and we will immediately assign you as the sponsor for those families. At that time, you can click on "Families I'm Sponsoring" to see the detailed contact information in order to arrange for delivery of the food and gifts.

• ANSWERING TELEPHONE CALLS: The Bureau will receive many calls from people wanting to sponsor a family. You can assist in answering their basic questions and match them with a family in need.
• FILING APPLICATIONS: You can assist us in filing the application numerically and alphabetically at our office.
• PREPARING GIFT BASKETS: The Bureau welcomes donations of non-perishable food and toys. Beginning Friday, December 14th we need help putting Gift Baskets together for families.
• DELIVERY: Beginning Sunday, December 16th we need volunteers to deliver the donated non-perishable food and toys to families throughout Travis County.

Our goal is to serve as the clearinghouse for City/County applicants by reducing the number of duplicated applicants to ensure that all persons in need are registered and sponsored. For more information, please call The Christmas Bureau at 453-3950 or www.cbofaustin.org.

LOCATION: 7600 Burnet Road #100 (Chase Bank Northcross).