Organize a toy drive or food drive and unite with your community and neighbors for a worthwhile charity this holiday season. Responsibilities may include hosting a kickoff party and meeting your neighbors, finding a charity, and setting up.
Coordinating a toy or food drive is a wonderful opportunity to strike up a friendship with your neighbors and bring a little holiday magic to those less fortunate.
Starting a toy drive/food drive
Decide on a date to hold your event, but not too close to the holidays as people may be out of town.
Contact a local food bank or toy drive organization and find out what tops the “most wanted” list of items.
Plan a get-together centered on donations. You can be creative with your theme; it doesn’t necessarily have to be you standing amid piles of empty collections boxes. Have fun with it!
“At a child’s birthday party, ask for toys that can be donated instead of gifts, or throw a football-watching party and have guests bring non-perishable food items instead of snacks,” says Jerry Brown of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, one of the nation’s first food banks.
Choosing a reputable charity
Local or not, most trustworthy charity organizations will work with you to facilitate the shipment of donations from one place to another. Well-known charities in the U.S. include:
Kristin Lindsay, of Child’s Play toy charity, suggests donating new and unused toys, preferably in boxes, such as dolls, toy cars, board games, and video games.
“I expect the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL systems and the latest E and E10 titles to be the big favorites this year.”
Organize a Toy Drive or Food Drive
By Brittany Morgan
Organize a toy drive or food drive and unite with your community and neighbors for a worthwhile charity this holiday season. Responsibilities may include hosting a kickoff party and meeting your neighbors, finding a charity, and setting up.
Coordinating a toy or food drive is a wonderful opportunity to strike up a friendship with your neighbors and bring a little holiday magic to those less fortunate.
Starting a toy drive/food drive
“At a child’s birthday party, ask for toys that can be donated instead of gifts, or throw a football-watching party and have guests bring non-perishable food items instead of snacks,” says Jerry Brown of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, one of the nation’s first food banks.
Choosing a reputable charity
Local or not, most trustworthy charity organizations will work with you to facilitate the shipment of donations from one place to another. Well-known charities in the U.S. include:
Recommended food items for donation
Kristin Lindsay, of Child’s Play toy charity, suggests donating new and unused toys, preferably in boxes, such as dolls, toy cars, board games, and video games.
“I expect the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL systems and the latest E and E10 titles to be the big favorites this year.”