How to help kids in the hospital: 10 ways that make a real difference
A hospital stay is scary, and a hospital room doesn't feel like a kid's own. Here are simple, proven ways to help children in the hospital, from a $30 gift to a free note your class writes this afternoon. Every idea on this page works with Sawyer's Wish, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has delivered 4,344+ bright sheet sets with handwritten notes to 63+ children's hospitals.
1. Give a child their own bright sheets ($30)
Hospital linens are white, thin and shared. A brand-new, colorful sheet set makes the bed feel like the child's own, and they take it home when they leave. A $30 gift covers one child completely: the sheet set, a handwritten note, packing and delivery to their hospital's child life team.
2. Write a free note of encouragement
Every set goes out with a handwritten note from someone who cares. You can write one online for free, and we copy it onto a card and pack it with a sheet set. It takes a minute and costs nothing.
3. Host a note-writing party with your class, church or team
Schools, scout troops, churches, sports teams and offices can request a free note party kit. We mail cards, writing prompts and a prepaid return envelope. It works well for service hours, holiday projects and kindness weeks.
4. Run a sheet drive
Hospitals can only use sheets that are new and still in the package. A sheet drive collects new twin, crib and toddler sets that we pair with notes. Ask for drive materials, or tell us what you already have.
5. Give monthly
Monthly giving lets a charity plan ahead. The Color Crew is $35 a month, enough to cover a new child every month, and you can cancel anytime.
6. Turn a birthday or race into a fundraiser
Ask for gifts to kids in the hospital instead of presents. Start a fundraiser page with a goal counted in kids covered. It's free, and every gift gets a tax receipt.
7. Ask your employer to match your gift
Many companies match employee donations, often dollar for dollar. Sawyer's Wish is listed on Benevity, verified by Goodstack, and listed on Candid, so most workplace giving programs can find us. See how matching works.
8. Bring your company in as a partner
Companies can sponsor a hospital, match employee gifts, or host a team note-writing day, with results reported in kids reached. See corporate partnerships.
9. Give in someone's honor
A tribute gift in honor of a teacher, a nurse, or a child who has been through a hospital stay sends them an email card and covers a child in the hospital.
10. Give on Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday (Tuesday, December 1, 2026) is the biggest day of the year for charitable giving. Sharing a gift that day helps spread the word.
What is the best way to help a child in the hospital?
Give something that is theirs and that they can keep, and let them know someone is thinking of them. That is why Sawyer's Wish sends every child a new, colorful sheet set with a handwritten note. A $30 gift covers one child, and writing a note is free.
Can I donate used sheets, toys or blankets to a children's hospital?
Most hospitals can only accept new items because of infection control. Sawyer's Wish accepts only new, still-packaged sheet sets and comfort items. Tell us what you have on the donate items page.
Is Sawyer's Wish a legitimate charity?
Yes. Sawyer's Wish is a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 87-3311117, based in Doylestown, Ohio. It is listed on Benevity and Candid and verified by Goodstack. Its IRS determination letter, W-9 and Form 990 are available on the impact page.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Gifts to Sawyer's Wish are tax-deductible as allowed by law. You get an email receipt right after you give, and you can download a year-end summary from your donor account.
How do I know my gift reached a child?
Every shipment is logged by hospital and confirmed by the child life team that receives it. The impact page shows totals and how deliveries are tracked.
Which children's hospitals do you serve?
Sawyer's Wish partners with child life teams at children's hospitals and pediatric units across the United States. Hospitals can request free sheet sets on the for-hospitals page.
$30 gives one child bright sheets and a note.
Secure checkout. Email receipt. Tax-deductible as allowed by law.