Nonprofit & faith 51 questions 2 pages About 17 min to fill in

Holiday Assistance Registration Form

Register families for holiday food boxes and children's gifts, with the sizes and wish lists your sponsors need.

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Holiday assistance registration
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What is the holiday assistance registration form template?

Holiday assistance programs ask a lot of families in a short time: who lives in the household, what help they need, and — if there are children — what each one wears and would love to unwrap. On paper this means a two-sided form plus a separate card per child, and volunteers spending evenings retyping it all for sponsors. This template collects the whole household in one go.

The first page covers the household: contact details, the help wanted (a food box, toys and gifts, coats, household items), how many adults and children there are, a monthly income range, and how they'd like to receive help. Asking for a food box opens questions about dietary needs and cooking facilities. Choosing to have someone else collect asks for their name, and delivery asks why the family can't get there.

The second page repeats the same section for each child, up to four, with a box for larger families. First names only are shared with sponsors. A declaration and signature finish the form, and each registration is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault.

Best for
Food banks, churches, mosques, schools and charities running holiday programs
Filled in by
A parent or head of household, or with a volunteer at a sign-up event
Time to complete
About 8 minutes for a family with children
Includes
Household details, income range, pickup options, a section per child with sizes and wish list, declaration

Who uses a holiday assistance registration form?

  • A food bank adding holiday meal boxes to its regular distribution
  • A church Christmas toy store or angel tree
  • A school family-support team helping families before the winter break
  • A community centre registering families at an in-person sign-up day
  • A charity collecting coats and warm clothing for children

Questions on this holiday assistance registration form

51 questions over 2 pages · includes signature, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.

1 Your household

  • Your name*
  • Phone*
  • Email
  • Home address*
  • Language you'd prefer we use English · Spanish · Arabic · Chinese · French · Another language
  • What help would you like?* A holiday food box or meal · Toys and gifts for the children · Coats and warm clothing · Household items
  • Adults in the household (18 and over)*
  • Children under 18*
  • Ages of the adults
  • Is anyone 65 or older?
  • Total household income per month, before tax* No income at the moment · Under $1,000 · $1,000–$2,000 · $2,000–$3,000 · $3,000–$4,000 · Over $4,000 · I'd rather not say
  • Is there anything about your situation you'd like us to know?
  • Food needs asked only when it applies Halal · Kosher · Vegetarian · Diabetic-friendly · No pork · Food allergies
  • Do you have a working oven or stove? asked only when it applies
  • How would you like to receive your help?* I'll collect it on distribution day · Someone else will collect it for me · Please deliver — I can't get there
  • Name of the person collecting* asked only when it applies
  • Why can't you get there? asked only when it applies

2 The children

  • First name* asked only when it applies
  • Age* asked only when it applies
  • Shop for asked only when it applies A boy · A girl · Either
  • Clothing size asked only when it applies Baby (0–24 months) · Toddler (2T–5T) · Kids XS (4–5) · Kids S (6–7) · Kids M (8–10) · Kids L (12–14) · Kids XL (16) · Adult S · Adult M · Adult L · Adult XL or larger
  • Shoe size asked only when it applies
  • Needs a winter coat? asked only when it applies
  • Wish list* asked only when it applies
  • First name* asked only when it applies
  • Age* asked only when it applies
  • Shop for asked only when it applies A boy · A girl · Either
  • Clothing size asked only when it applies Baby (0–24 months) · Toddler (2T–5T) · Kids XS (4–5) · Kids S (6–7) · Kids M (8–10) · Kids L (12–14) · Kids XL (16) · Adult S · Adult M · Adult L · Adult XL or larger
  • Shoe size asked only when it applies
  • Needs a winter coat? asked only when it applies
  • Wish list* asked only when it applies
  • First name* asked only when it applies
  • Age* asked only when it applies
  • Shop for asked only when it applies A boy · A girl · Either
  • Clothing size asked only when it applies Baby (0–24 months) · Toddler (2T–5T) · Kids XS (4–5) · Kids S (6–7) · Kids M (8–10) · Kids L (12–14) · Kids XL (16) · Adult S · Adult M · Adult L · Adult XL or larger
  • Shoe size asked only when it applies
  • Needs a winter coat? asked only when it applies
  • Wish list* asked only when it applies
  • First name* asked only when it applies
  • Age* asked only when it applies
  • Shop for asked only when it applies A boy · A girl · Either
  • Clothing size asked only when it applies Baby (0–24 months) · Toddler (2T–5T) · Kids XS (4–5) · Kids S (6–7) · Kids M (8–10) · Kids L (12–14) · Kids XL (16) · Adult S · Adult M · Adult L · Adult XL or larger
  • Shoe size asked only when it applies
  • Needs a winter coat? asked only when it applies
  • Wish list* asked only when it applies
  • Other children: first name, age, sizes and wish list* asked only when it applies
  • Have you signed up for holiday help anywhere else this year?*
  • Where? asked only when it applies
  • Declaration*
  • Signature*
  • Date*

The holiday assistance registration form, page by page

1 Your household

The family gives their name, phone, optional email, home address and preferred language. "What help would you like?" lists a holiday food box or meal, toys and gifts for the children, coats and warm clothing, and household items. They give "Adults in the household (18 and over)", "Children under 18", the adults' ages and whether anyone is 65 or older. "Total household income per month, before tax" uses ranges and includes "I'd rather not say". An optional box invites anything about their situation.

Ticking the food box shows "Food needs" (halal, kosher, vegetarian, diabetic-friendly, no pork, allergies) and asks whether they have a working oven or stove. "How would you like to receive your help?" offers collecting it themselves, someone else collecting — which asks for their name — or delivery for families who can't get there.

2 The children

A short note explains that sponsors only see first names and ages. For each child the form asks "First name", "Age", "Shop for" (a boy, a girl or either), "Clothing size" from baby to adult, "Shoe size", "Needs a winter coat?" and a "Wish list" with two or three ideas. The number of children on page one decides how many sections appear, up to four, with one box for the rest of a larger family.

The family says whether they've signed up for holiday help elsewhere this year, agrees to the declaration — the information is true, they're registering once, and help depends on donations — and signs.

Make the template yours

  • Change the income ranges and currency to match your area and your eligibility rules
  • Add your distribution days and location to the cover text
  • Remove the toy questions if you only give food
  • Add a question for a referral from a school or caseworker
  • Make a copy of the form with the questions translated for families who prefer another language
  • Set a close date so registrations stop in time for sponsor matching

Tips for a better holiday assistance registration form

  • Hold an in-person sign-up session with volunteers and tablets for families without internet access
  • Give each family a number and use it on the sponsor's wish list instead of a name
  • Ask for two or three wish-list ideas so sponsors have a choice within budget
  • Check for duplicate households in the Responses table before matching
  • Tell families clearly when and where to collect, and send a reminder

Every response becomes a PDF in your vault

Each registration becomes a signed PDF in your FileIt vault and the form owner is emailed. If the family gave an email address, they receive a copy.

The Responses table lets your team search by name or address to spot duplicates, and the CSV export puts every child's sizes and wish list in a spreadsheet you can split into sponsor cards.

  1. Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
  2. Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
  3. Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Use the holiday assistance registration template — it’s free

Holiday assistance registration form: frequently asked questions

Is this holiday assistance form template free?

Yes. It's one of the starter templates in FileIt's Forms app, available on every account including the free plan.

How many children can a family list?

There's a full section for each of up to four children, and a free-text box for any more.

Do sponsors see the family's details?

Only what you choose to share. Responses stay in your FileIt account, and the form tells families that sponsors see first names and ages only.

Does the form check whether a family is eligible?

No. It collects the information. Your team applies your own criteria when reviewing registrations.

Can families without email register?

Yes. Email is optional. A volunteer can also fill the form in with a family at a sign-up event.

Is there a matching form for sponsors?

Yes. The adopt-a-family sponsor sign-up template collects each sponsor's budget, family size and drop-off date.

Use this template — free