Hurricane Sandy Relief Holiday Toy Drive

This year we did something a little different and had two separate collections. We held the Toy drive for TCI & a Teddy Bear & Sports ball drive for Sandy kids. Although both were incredibly successful, we had an abundance of toys to distribute. We decided to divide the toys amongst the two organizations and call it even. Thanks to our friends at Food Basics in Fairview & New jersey Transit in Secaucus, we had over 300 more toys to take to Staten Island. We had collection boxes in both locations with DTGB signs explaining our collections and the employees contributed some fantastic gifts! We collected both boxes on route to Staten Island and managed to fill two cars worth of holiday cheer. We packed the kids, the donations from Hawaii, toys collected by friends & family, random donations collected & our boxes from both our sights and headed down the Jersey Turnpike. We were contacted by Senator Lanza’s office about a make-shift Toy store that was created specifically for families affected by the super storm and immediately knew that was exactly where we needed to go. We approached the store front that was decorated with holiday art and greeted by the friendliest staff around. They helped us unload 11 boxes and a truck load of toys. We had a tour of the store and met with locals benefitting from the plentiful selection of toys, stuffed animals & games. This store was a perfect location for our drop off. Families would come in and present their FEMA card and receive a few tickets that were used in place of money. They were able to select toys for their children or bring the kids to pick for themselves. They had a great table filled with stocking stuffers and another for chocolate treats and candy. The staff was working feverishly to keep the stock up and presentable for these families. It was an honor to meet them and help contribute to the children of Staten Island’s holiday! Thank you all for the donations that allowed these families’ to feel the spirit of the holiday this season.