Giving a Free Xbox 360 to Family in Need: Need Ideas

[MattGannon]

Hi everyone,

 

I know this is a pretty solid group of people here, so I'm looking for some advice. I couldn't find a better spot to post this.

 

I'm upgrading to the Xbox One, and I will still have my Xbox 360. Instead of selling it like I was going to, I'm going to give it to a family in need for Christmas.

 

When I was around 12, my parents (who were very poor) managed to buy me a Crystal Edition Xbox for Christmas with Fable. It was the best Christmas I ever had, and the joy I felt from it will never be forgotten. I'm sure my parents felt incredibly happy too, being able to give me that. So now it's time to spread the joy a little bit. I want to help another parent give their children an incredible Christmas, but I am unsure of how to go about it.

 

So my question is this: how do I decide who is actually in need and not just trying to rip me off?

 

Any ideas? I don't know anybody in the city I live in, and I can't just be like "Hey, show me your welfare pay stubs", you know what I mean? I'm keeping it local.

 

Help is much appreciated. Thanks in advance,

 

Matt

 

TL;DR: Giving away Xbox 360 to a family in need this Christmas. How do I do this without getting ripped off?

 

[catspaw]

Not exactly what you were planning, but a lot of childrens' hospitals accept videogame console donations.  It can be an awesome distraction for kids who are in pain / scared, with a lot of reach to many kids.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Churches, St. Vincent's locations and the Salvation Army often are very helpful.  But, Catspaw is right.  A children's hospital would put it to very good use. 

[MattGannon]

Not a shabby idea, Catspaw. I remember when I was hospitalized for a month and had to stay in CHEO when I was in Grade 1, and having videogames really helped. Thanks to you as well, Jinn. Much appreciated.

[Zendikara]

I agree the hospital is a GREAT idea! I still remember when I was hopsitalized after a bad car accident when I was 8, and I was beyond thankful there was a gaming console there to occupy me.  It was either watch TV which didn't last long because there wasn't many channels, and nothing good on.. or a gaming console that would keep me entertained for hours, and forget about my pain.. YUP! I chose the console.

 

Mad props to you man, that's really awesome of you!

[MissoulaSquatch]

I honestly donated all of my original Xbox stuff to Goodwill almost two years ago..that route is almost always open as well.  I knew I could've still sold it for money, or gotten a decent trade in..decided to make someone's Christmas/Birthday better by just giving it up in that manner..hell, I never even cashed in on the tax rebates.

I'd also recommend talking to local churches and see if they have ideas, just a few weeks ago I donated about half of my clothing to a church..if you see any homeless people in Chicago wearing Jimmy John's shirts..they were probably mine at one point..

[Ripple]

Several churches and nonprofits in my area do "angel trees" where you pull an ornament off of the tree and it lists a child's age, gender, and a gift they would like for Christmas.

 

If you could get in touch with one of these organizations you might be able to find out if there is a child that would like to have this. Usually these organizations only accept new gifts, but I think this would be a worthy exception.

 

Also, my parents bought a used Nintendo for me one year when a friend of theirs upgraded to a Sega. I was beyond excited, and I still have the console to this day.