# Will Companies Donate to a Benefit for One Person or Family?

> Usually not. Books-A-Million, Kroger, Whole Foods, Topgolf, Wegmans, J.M. Smucker, Canon and Lowes Foods all list individuals or benefits among the requests they exclude. Here is what their rules say, and the routes that do work when your community wants to help one person or family.

Source: https://ultimatedonations.org/donations-for-a-benefit-for-a-person  
Last updated: 2026-10-08  
Publisher: Ultimate Donations

Usually not. Many corporate donation programs rule out events that raise money for one person or one family, and several say so in plain words. Books-A-Million won't donate "to benefit specific individuals or families". Kroger, Whole Foods and Topgolf list individuals among the groups they don't donate to. J.M. Smucker names "benefits" as individual support it won't fund, and Canon U.S.A. lists individual needs and benefits among requests that may not be considered.

That doesn't leave you with nothing. Some routes do work: raising money through a nonprofit that exists to help people with medical costs, asking companies whose programs back agencies that help individuals, and asking locally owned companies that set their own rules. This guide sets out what the corporate rules actually say and where to put your effort instead.

## What company rules say about individuals

Each line below comes from the company's own giving page.

| Company | What its page says |
| --- | --- |
| [Books-A-Million](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/books-a-million-donation) | Unable to make "Donations to benefit specific individuals or families" |
| Kroger | Does not make donations to "Individuals" |
| [Whole Foods Market](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/whole-foods-market-donation) | Does not donate to "Individuals" |
| [Topgolf](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/topgolf-donation) | Does not provide charitable donations to "Individuals" |
| [Wegmans](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/wegmans-donation) | Unable to accommodate "Requests from individuals for support of personal endeavors" |
| [J.M. Smucker](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/smuckers-donation) | Ineligible: "individual support (e.g., fellowships, stipends, benefits, travel, personal assistance)" |
| [Canon U.S.A.](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/canon-usa-product-donation) | Lists "Individual needs" and "Fundraising activities such as: Galas, benefits, dinners or sporting events" among requests that may not be considered |
| Lowes Foods | "Unable to fulfill requests for funding individuals" |
| [Pentel](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/pentel-donation) | Won't support "Individual participation in events or fundraisers" |

Smucker's consumer FAQ puts the principle in one line: "The program must benefit a group or organization rather than an individual."

## It's about who benefits, not who asks

It can seem that a benefit becomes eligible if a church, fire company or school hosts it. Read the wording above again: Books-A-Million's rule is about donations that benefit specific individuals or families, and Smucker's is about who the program benefits. Who signs the request doesn't change who the money is for.

That is also why you should never describe a family benefit as something else. If the proceeds go to one family, say so. Costco's warehouse donation form, for example, asks the person signing to verify that they are an authorized agent of the requesting nonprofit. A request that misstates where the money goes puts the organization that signed it in a difficult position.

## What does work

### 1. Raise the money through a nonprofit built for it

Some nonprofits exist to run community fundraising for people facing medical costs. Help Hope Live is one example of this model: it says it helps clients and their communities fundraise for transplant, catastrophic injury and catastrophic illness costs, verifies each client's diagnosis with a medical professional, and prefers to pay medical vendors directly.

This route changes how the money is handled, not whether a company's rule applies. The corporate exclusions above are about who benefits, so don't assume a program that bars individual benefits will give because a nonprofit is managing the funds. Ask the company, and describe the event plainly.

### 2. Ask where the rules point to agencies

Wegmans draws the line clearly: it is unable to accommodate "Requests from individuals for support of personal endeavors", but adds, "however, we give generously to agencies that help individuals." If there is a local nonprofit already serving people in the family's situation, such as a food pantry, a hospital family-support program or a disease charity, a benefit **for that agency's program** is an ordinary nonprofit request. That is a different event, though: the proceeds go to the agency's work, not to one family. Only run it that way if that is genuinely what your community wants to do.

### 3. Ask locally owned companies

The rules above are corporate policies. A locally owned restaurant, salon or shop may have no such page, and its owner may decide, so it may be able to say yes where a corporate program can't. The [restaurant and local company ask sheet](https://ultimatedonations.org/resources/restaurant-local-company-ask-sheet) covers the walk-in: who to ask for, what to say first, and a page to leave behind. Be clear from the first sentence that the event helps one family.

## Before you send a single request

- **Write one honest sentence about who benefits.** It decides, company by company, whether a request is worth sending.
- **Skip programs that exclude individuals.** Each request you send to a company whose page rules it out is an evening your volunteers don't get back.
- **Check the paperwork question separately.** If a nonprofit is involved, our guide to [donations without a 501(c)(3)](https://ultimatedonations.org/donations-without-501c3) explains how organizations without their own exemption usually work with one that has it. It is informational, not legal or tax advice.

For the general steps, see [how to ask a company for a donation](https://ultimatedonations.org/how-to-ask-companies-for-donations). To look for companies whose programs match a health cause, browse the [health category](https://ultimatedonations.org/categories/health).

## Frequently asked questions

### Will companies donate raffle prizes for a benefit for a sick person?

Many corporate programs will not. Books-A-Million, Kroger, Whole Foods, Topgolf, Wegmans, J.M. Smucker and Canon all list individuals, individual needs or family benefits among the requests they exclude on their own pages.

### Does it help if a church or fire company hosts the benefit?

Not by itself. Rules like Books-A-Million's are about who benefits, not who asks, so a benefit for one family is still a benefit for one family. Describe it honestly.

### Who will help raise money for one person's medical bills?

Some nonprofits exist to run community fundraising for people facing medical costs. Locally owned companies, which set their own rules, are also worth asking in person.

### Does Wegmans donate to individuals?

No. Wegmans says it is unable to accommodate requests from individuals for personal endeavors, but gives to agencies that help individuals; see [Wegmans' donor page](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/wegmans-donation).

### Can I call a family benefit a school or community fundraiser to qualify?

No. If the proceeds go to one family, say so. Programs judge who benefits, and forms such as Costco's ask the signer to verify they act for the requesting nonprofit.