February 5, 2019 | Every child deserves a chance to hug their favorite stuffed animal or pretend to be their favorite superhero, but not every child has toys to call their own. That’s where The Toy Foundation (TTF) comes in – the organization will once again host its largest toy drive of the year at Toy Fair New York, collecting thousands of playthings to give to kids in need.
As the official charity of Toy Fair, the Foundation and its team of nearly 100 Toy Bank volunteers will collect puzzles, plush, arts and crafts, dolls, action figures, and every other type of toy and game from exhibitor booths at the end of the show. The donated toys will be sent to children’s charities in the tri-state area serving kids who are impoverished, neglected, or otherwise in need, and to charities across the country to benefit those in foster care. At last year’s show, the Foundation collected more than 50,000 donated toys and games from hundreds of exhibiting toy companies and is aiming to surpass that number in 2019.
"From stuffed animals and dolls to board games and puzzles, the brand-new playthings donated at Toy Fair will bring comfort and joy to thousands of kids dealing with adversity," said Elizabeth Max, TTF's senior foundation manager. "Every little bit counts in helping us give the magic of play to these kids in need. We encourage new and returning exhibiting companies to connect with us and help make this year’s Toy Fair collection the most significant yet."
Show exhibitors that would like to participate in this meaningful collection are encouraged to donate items when the marketplace closes at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19. Volunteers wearing bright orange Toy Bank t-shirts will collect toys from exhibitor booths at 4:01 p.m. Exhibitors are encouraged to submit their product donation forms early, or they can drop them off at TTF’s booth (#5701) anytime during Toy Fair. New for this year, exhibitors can drop off their donation forms at show information counters on Level 1 and Level 3. Volunteers will be collecting forms from those areas to save exhibitors a trip if they are located far away. Contact Elizabeth Max to learn more.
Since 2003, The Toy Foundation has provided nearly $225 million in brand-new toys to over 25 million deserving children through its signature program, The Toy Bank. To learn more about The Toy Foundation and its partners visit ToyFoundation.org.