Organizers of an annual toy drive for disadvantaged children in Wright City are taking their efforts online this year, offering a new way for generous people to donate.
“We thought some folks …
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Organizers of an annual toy drive for disadvantaged children in Wright City are taking their efforts online this year, offering a new way for generous people to donate.
“We thought some folks weren’t going to be quite ready to get out into the public and go shopping with COVID. We also wanted a way to reach out to friends and family who live outside of Wright City, but who might want to donate,” said toy drive co-organizer Kelly Hill.
Hill’s Shelter Insurance office is one of several area businesses that collects toys each year in partnership with Wright City Parents as Teachers and the Wright City Community Food Pantry.
This year, toy drive organizers are using an online charity service called You Give Goods to allow donors to shop for toy donations online.
“It’s like Amazon for charity,” Hill said. “At the end of the drive, those items will be shipped directly to Parents as Teachers for distribution. ... They hold all of the toys until the end and ship it all at one time, so it’s just one delivery instead of 500.”
The online collection is live now at YouGiveGoods.com/WrightCityToyDrive. Visitors can browse a large selection of toys and children’s clothes to purchase for the drive.
The website will remain open until Nov. 23. Hill said the online portion of the toy drive has to start and end early to allow 15 days for delivery.
The goal for this year is to collect 1,000 toys. That would be up from last year’s collection, which provided toys for about 40 families.
Hill said she hopes the convenience of allowing people to shop online and have their donations delivered will encourage more participation toward that goal.
The more traditional, in-person Wright City toy drive will begin Nov. 1, with local businesses collecting new, unwrapped toys in large barrels.
Parents as Teachers coordinator Kamie Williams said this is the sixth year for the Wright City toy drive. She said all the toys, clothing and other supplies collected stays within the Wright City community.
“This program brings such joy to my heart, because I work with these families and I see on a daily basis the ones that really need the help,” Williams said.
This year, with all of its many challenges, has been even harder on local families, some of whom have lost jobs or struggled with health issues. Even some families who always donated toys in years past are now finding themselves in need, Williams said.
Parents as Teachers has a list of 35 to 40 families this year in need of toys, clothes and basic supplies, who Williams hopes the community will step up to support.
“We can get toys to the homes of these kids so they can wake up Christmas morning and have something under the tree,” she commented.
