2024 Toy Drive For Kids in Need

Hello Everyone.

It's that time of year again to start up our toy drive and we are asking for your help. Eight years ago we started a toy drive with a group of guys from the area trying to help kids in need that have been affected by the terrible consequences of drugs and alcohol. We wanted to target somewhere that most people don't think about. We found a facility called the Drueding Center located in North Philly. This is a facility for women and kids that are one step removed from being homeless. This is a place you go to after you leave a homeless shelter. In the first year (2016) we started about two weeks before Christmas and were able to help about 60 kids. We delivered wrapped toys and even brought Santa Claus with us to give the presents out. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed in my life. I met with someone that was about to move onto the next step from this facility and move into an apartment and she had tears in her eyes as she said she was not sure how her daughter was going to have a Christmas and then we showed up. The people there were so grateful and really appreciated the toys. In 2017 we started a Go Fund Me Campaign along with collecting from family, friends, and even businesses in the neighborhood and expanded the toy drive to include Catholic Worker Services which had 120 kids. All in all we helped about 163 kids and 27 adults have a better Christmas. Total cash collected was $2,152 and that is not counting all the toys, clothes, and gift cards that were donated. We needed to rent a U-Haul just to deliver the toys and had $200 left over to leave at the facility for them to order pizza for all the families. In 2018 we focused solely on the Drueding Center and we loaded up 3 trucks and a car full of toys and delivered the toys to the families along with a visit from Santa Claus. Overall we helped 30 total families and 50 total kids. We even left small gifts for the parents and gift cards to Wal-Mart, Target, etc..... On this Go Fund Me drive we collected $1,110 and then $960 in separate cash donations for total cash donations of $2,070. That is not counting separate toy and gift card donations. We left $120 in cash at the facility which was left over after buying toys and gift cards for the families to order pizza for dinner or lunch one day. In 2019 there was $720 raised on this Go Fund Me Drive along with $1,145 collected in cash for a total of $1,865. We even left gift bags and gift cards for the Mother's of the kids and $120 that was left over to go towards dinner one night for the families. In 2020 we were waiting to hear back on whether we could do the drive again and while there were restrictions from Covid that would prevent us from going into the facility we still did everything else the same as every year (get a list of kids and buy toys for each one, wrap the gifts, and drop them off at the facility). We could not go into the facility to visit with the families but we were able to do a visit from Santa on Zoom from outside the building and made the best out of a really tough year that was filled with hurdles. The total cash collected was $3,184.09 which includes $625 collected from Go Fund me. We also had donations of bikes and toys. We went with 3 pickup trucks filled with bags of wrapped toys for all 50 kids living at the facility. We had gift cards for each of the 30 families and left $330 in cash at the facility for them to order food one night for the families. In 2021 the total money collected for the toy drive was $3,873. That includes $250 collected on this Go Fund Me. In total 29 families and 38 kids were helped this year. The kids got everything from bikes and scooters to play kitchens and even sliding boards. We left each family gift cards and even sent gifts for the Moms. All the kids received multiple wrapped gifts along with a stocking. Just like each kid deserves at Christmas. We left $377 which was the left over money at the facility to order food for the families. In 2022, we collected $3,014 which includes $300 collected from this Go Fund Me and were able to buy for 40 kids that made up 31 families in total. Last year (2023) we collected $4,588 in cash donations. That’s $700 more than any year with the drive being in its 8th year. That’s not counting the two car loads worth of toys donated and families that were adopted by people. Overall we helped 29 families and 40 kids. We dropped off toys, stockings for the kids, food, and gave everyone of the Moms a gift card and a gift. We left $180 for them to order pizza for the families one night too. This was the first time in 3 years since Covid that we were able to go back into the facility and meet the families along with Santa in person to give out the gifts. Which we plan to do again this year.

We have various ways that we are raising money but wanted to set up the Go Fund Me again to make sure others get a chance to donate like in previous years.

Each year when we get the number of families and list of kids by ages from the Drueding Center I think how are we going to pull this off again. It's not easy to get the donations needed to help that many people but we know we have to try and put the work in because the families we are helping don't have one day in life that is easy right now. Maybe seeing their kids happy at Christmas and making that possible for them to enjoy can give them a little added boost to keep doing what needs to be done to change their lives even though it seems like such an impossible task sometimes. In my experience there really is nothing in life that is not possible when good people work together to help out. We will get donations outside of this Go Fund Me but this is a major part of how we have helped the families over the years. Even $5 from someone could make a huge difference in someone's lives. When we were told thank you by the women we told them that we just wanted them to know someone cares about them and to keep pressing forward with turning their lives around. I can promise you that no one other than the wonderful people that work at the facilities and donate their time to these places are looking out for these families. You will not see it on a TV commercial with a celebrity spokesperson asking you to help them. We are the one's that will be there for them though. Again, we are not an organization. This donation will not even be tax deductible. Just a group of guys trying to do some good around the holidays and we are asking for your help.

Also, if you would like to donate a toy, gift card, or anything else instead of cash please contact us and we will pick it up from you. You can contact me through here if you want to buy for a specific child or family. Within the next 2 - 3 weeks I will have a list of all the kids by age and whether boy or girl to make sure we cover everyone with an age appropriate toy. Happy Holidays to all of you and your families. Please feel free to share this with others. The families the toy drive will be helping can use every donation they can get.