Holidays

The Pete & Thomas Foundation partnered with Pay Away the Layaway to bring holiday relief and joy to families at CitiTrends. This collaboration helped nearly 100 families take home their planned gifts, significantly easing financial stress during the holiday season. By paying off layaway accounts, we aim to inspire hope and create moments of unexpected kindness when they are needed most.

For the 2025 holiday season, we partnered with four incredible community partners to support Houston and San Antonio

Empower House San Antonio served 100 families at the Annual Holiday Resource Fair in San Antonio. Through this event, families received essential health resources, vaccines, and holiday joy, including a photo with Santa and toys for kids.

Learn more about their work at

empowerhousesa.org

Thrive Youth Center hosted an Annual Holiday Party to create a memorable evening for 60 young adults ages 18 to 24, featuring bowling, a catered dinner by a local chef, and holiday stockings in San Antonio.

Learn more about their work at thriveyouthcenter.org

Pay Away the Layaway paid off layaway balances to bring holiday cheer to 50 families at CitiTrends in Houston. Families were able to take home the gifts they had planned for their loved ones, easing financial stress during the holiday season.

Learn more about their work at payaway.org

YWCA Houston is a long-time community partner in Houston. Together, we helped assemble and delivered 1,450 gift bags to senior citizens, including 1,075 homebound clients, who felt seen, valued, and remembered during the holiday season.

Learn more about their work at

ywcahouston.org

For the 2024 holiday season, the Pete & Thomas Foundation collaborated with multiple community organizations.

We hosted “Where Wishes Come True”, a community-driven event in Los Angeles where 20 deserving young people for a shopping spree at True Religion! Each attendee received a gift card from True Religion and an iconic t-shirt. True Religion also provided 200 gift cards to our community partners in Chicago to bring additional holiday cheer.

Working with Northeast Senior Assistance in San Antonio, we surprised 182 senior citizens with Secret Santa grocery store gift cards and covered transportation costs to help them access doctor appointments and grocery store trips throughout December. Continuing our support for the San Antonio community, we provided 100 youth with toys and gift cards through Empower House SA’s Annual Holiday Resource Fair. Families enjoyed access to health resources and other support for the holidays.

At CitiTrends in South Park, we worked with Pay Away the Layaway to surprise 47 families by paying off their holiday layaway balances. Families were able to bring home toys, clothing, and essentials to celebrate the season. Additionally, the foundation’s Emergency Power Program in partnership with Bread of Life delivered 20 generators, cleaning supplies and Walmart gift cards to senior citizens across Houston with the support of YWCA and NACC Disaster Relief.

In 2023, the Pete & Thomas Foundation partnered with four past community partners

With Pay Away the Layaway, we doubled the support and covered the layaway balances of over 90 families in Houston. Families were able to bring home toys, clothing, and other necessities for the holidays. Pay Away the Layaway is a national nonprofit with the mission to inspire hope and spread kindness.

For a second year in a row, we have worked with Twelve Days of Christmas to identify families who endured immeasurable loss but continue to keep their families together and take care of their grandchildren. We surprised four grandparents and their families with furniture, toys, tools, and other necessities during the holiday season.

We partnered with AVDA a non-profit organization based in Houston, TX that works with survivors of domestic violence, and provided a holiday self-care gift package to 40 women that included a Target gift card, a journal, an adult coloring book, bath/spa items, body wash, and a robe.

The Pete and Thomas Foundation provided 175 gift cards to the senior citizens living at the Montrose Center in Houston and to those who attended the Senior Holiday Party to enjoy a healthy meal for the holiday. The Montrose Center is the nation's largest, LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center.

In 2022, the Pete & Thomas Foundation partnered with three community organizations:

We worked with Covenant House Texas to fulfill 14 Christmas wish lists for their young adult residents. Covenant House Texas is a faith-based organization committed to giving homeless youth a safe haven, absolute respect, unconditional love, and a path to lasting independence. 

We partnered with Pay Away the Layaway to cover the layaway balances of 42 families so they could provide loved ones with holiday gifts and toys. Pay Away the Layaway is a national nonprofit with the mission to inspire hope and spread kindness.

With Twelve Days of Christmas, we surprised 3 families with furniture and other necessities during the holiday season which included a mother with MS, a cancer survivor, and a grandparent.