The number varies depending upon where you look, but one thing remains constant, there will be thousands of children that won’t have the kind of Christmas that makes memories. Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric is trying to change that through their Caring Community Giveaway, which will award $5,000 to one of three charities this holiday season.

“The holidays should be a time of joy and creating memories that will last a lifetime,” said Josh Ward, owner of Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric. “We are going to be able to help these important community programs deliver that kind of memory to so many children in our community this year.”

Approximately 30% of annual giving occurs during the month of December, according to Double the Donation. Community programs are a critical part of getting those dollars to those in need, and this quarter’s Giveaway employee-nominated charities are reaching hundreds with food, toys and gift cards for daily needs.

Applewood Plumbing employees selected Denver Dream Center, Family Tree and Operation Santa Claus. The community will be given the opportunity to vote on these featured nonprofits to choose the winner. To vote, visit Applewood’s Facebook or website from November 15th through November 29th at 12:00 p.m. Following the voting period, the nonprofit with the most votes will receive the $5,000 giveaway. Learn more about the selected programs below:

Denver Dream Center Christmas in the City will provide Christmas for more than 3,000 children, who along with their families, will take part in a special event at Coors Field that will include music, giveaways, hot chocolate and presents. Families are adopted by community members, who get to meet during the Christmas in the City event to present gifts and share in the spirit of the holidays.

Family Tree Holidays of Hope will bring the joy of the holidays to families of domestic violence through several activities as part of their annual Holidays of Hope campaign. Community members can adopt a family, host a giving tree or provide holiday food for those less fortunate. Fulfilling wish lists for children and families can be done individually, as a family or through employee programs.

Operation Santa Claus serves more than 800 children annually with food and gifts during the Christmas holiday season. This year will be the 63rd delivery of gifts from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. The organization was founded when Martin Marietta employees came together to buy presents for local shelters. Volunteers deliver five boxes of food, and toys for every child in the family.

Applewood’s Caring Community Giveaway has donated more than $220,000 to local nonprofits in the Denver-metro area in the program’s more than 16 years of existence. To learn more about Applewood and their community outreach, visit Community Giveaway.