How to host a toy drive

We have had a few schools hold toy and pajama drives for us and we thought we'd give you a step-by-step process in the event you wanted to organize one as well! These details can also be used to organize a drive at your workplace or business. Read about of one of the past school drives, and a touching example of student involvement.

Brier Elementary had the support of the
Principal and Student Council

·  Contact Pam Martinez (425-673-0526) and let her know of your plans, discuss details. Plan your drive for the week before the Holly House event to minimize storage issues. 

·  Work with school administration and PTA to make sure they are on board. 

·  Offer your time and support to fully execute the drive; this alleviates any pressure for someone to say "no" since you're volunteering to do the work. 

·  Get some upper grade level students to paint some signs a few weeks before and post them around school. Include it in the PTA newsletter the month/weeks before. 

·  Enlist the help of the student council - they may be able to make daily morning announcements a few days before and the week of the drive. If your school has a Facebook page, use that to post updates and reminders. 

·  Create a project meter or tally (a thermometer goal, or number of boxes collected count, etc). Set a goal of # of boxes filled, or number of items collected, number of students supported, etc. We recommend not offering incentives, but rather help kids feel good about their participation. 

·  Be mindful of the fact that many students at your school may qualify to be a participant in Holly House, and may have nothing to give, but may be very willing to give their time somehow (encouraging participation, making signs, standing in collection zone, etc) 

·  Set up brightly colored (wrapped in holiday paper) boxes in the Office or Library. Make sure they have a sign for when they are unattended. Have someone stand at a box in the drop off/pick up area morning and afternoon, perhaps wearing a funny hat or with a big sign. These are your cheerleaders, friendly faces to help people remember why they are donating. 

School families sorting donations gathered
over the week in a volunteer's garage

·  If the school doesn't have room to store the items (or doesn't want to be responsible), transport the items to a location off site daily, but tally the items so the students can still visually see progress somehow. 

·  Keep in mind that Holly House currently has no permanent storage facility, so it is preferred that you keep the items and deliver them to the Holly House event itself rather than having us find a place to store them. (Someone's garage works well for the week). 

·  Sort the toys - stuffed animals, games, teen gifts, pajamas, etc. Create an inventory to give to Holly House including # of toys and clothing items and estimated value (you can use an average cost!). You do NOT need to inventory each item separately, just a count is fine. 

·  Arrange drop off the morning of the first day of the event. Bring your donation and see what Holly House is all about at the same time. It may take several car-loads if you're successful! Plan to caravan and make an event of it. 

·  Organize members of your school to volunteer for the Holly House event and help to set up for the event and/or work the day of the shopping event, and/or clean up. It's a 3 day project and we need LOTS of hands to move in and out of a gymnasium, while at the same time creating a holiday wonderland for our clients. 

Toy delivery to Holly House - what a good feeling!!

Holly House currently only collects new toys for distribution - sports equipment and teen gifts are especially needed. New pajamas, socks, and underwear are also popular items to collect at drives. 

Holly House to focus on new gifts for 2015 - retiring gently used program

Given limited resources (time, money, storage, and volunteers), we would like to focus what we have on giving our families brand new items – which is something they don't often get. Effective 12/15/14, we have discontinued our gently used program.

Beginning with our collection for the 2015 Holly House event, we ask that only NEW items be donated (with the exception of “only looked at but never cuddled” Stuffed Animals that still look new).

Clients shopping the gently used section at the 2014 event

Your gently used items (clothing, shoes, books, household goods, and toys) can still find loving homes with people in our community who need them. Investigate options such as Buy Nothing Facebook groups, Freecycle.com, craigslist.com, or other local non-profits to share those items.

Our families greatly appreciated receiving extra items over the past years, and we are faced with a tough choice to no longer offer this at Holly House. We look forward to dedicating all of our resources to giving them the best quality items and the best shopping experience while visiting Holly House in 2015.

We collect items year-round for our event in December, including:

• New Toys
• New Pajamas - warm, winter style
• Stuffed Animals - all sizes (looking new, even though they don't need to be)
• Books - New and those that look new
• New Socks and Underwear
• New Hats and Scarves
• Stocking Stuffer items (New)

The ages of the children we support is 0-17. Often the 8-17 age is less popular to buy gifts for, and has the greatest shortage.

You can donate items at any time at our year-round collection sites. As always, monetary donations are welcome, as we can use bulk buying power to buy discounted items.

Thank you for supporting Holly House!
~ Pam Martinez, Executive Director

Toy Drive spotlight - Brier Elementary

I wanted to share with you the excitement and pride that happens during a toy drive. It is easy for me to write this post, because I have been at our Brier Elementary Toy Drive every morning this week. This is the first year we have held a drive, and I wasn't sure what the reaction would be. I don't know why I was worried...

The response has been incredible, and I'm sure the same thing happened at all of the local schools holding drives. Knowing that these toys are going to go to fellow students and neighbors makes people feel at ease about donating. It gives them a sense of worth and pride to help someone so close. I knew this would be an easy thing to sell. What I didn't expect was the reaction of the children.

Every morning we had at least five 5th and 6th graders signed up to help at morning drop off (we wanted to include the kids as much as possible). This turned into a small crowd gathered around the drop box each morning. Excitement built as we brought the bin from the office to see what had accumulated since the past morning. "Oh, cool, that's a fun toy!" "Wow, look at the bin, it is overflowing!!" "How many bins does this make" "Should we move them to the car to make more room?"

You could tell that the kids bringing in toys were proud to help. Some were a little shy. Some were a little hesitant to put one of their own toys in the bin for someone else. But they all opened their backpacks and hearts and shared something with someone else. Some of the kids had nothing to give, but they were there every morning willing to help in whatever way they could. Some of these kids I know could probably use the help of Holly House themselves.

One boy (5th grade) became a cheerleader of sorts...asking kids (politely) "have you donated yet?". He also said that most everyone in his class had donated, and he even brought in extra toys so that those who hadn't could have one to donate.

One boy (a kindergartner) approached with much hesitation, saying he had brought a stuffed animal to donate. He left, but then came back. Out of his backpack he pulls out his "very favorite" stuffed animal that was securely wrapped in a knit hat for the journey. He put it in the bin and I asked him if he was sure, he said "yeah, I brought it to donate", and he had a big big smile as he walked away.

One boy said, "oh, is this the last day? I didn't get to go through my things and find something". He was there every morning giving moral support. I told him that just helping is a great gift in itself. He smiled and agreed, and he said "maybe next year".

Next year, for certain!!!

~ Jen, Holly House volunteer & Blogger

Here is the result of our Toy Drive - wow!!! It takes up the floor of our double garage

We have over 17 boxes now that the day is over!