Now in its 39th year, Open Door Care Network’s annual Give a Toy and Share the Joy holiday toy drive continues to bring holiday cheer to children and families throughout the communities it serves.
Each holiday season, more than 3,500 new toys are distributed to children served by Open Door across its six health centers. This year, the tradition will expand to include children served by Family Services of Westchester (FSW), now part of Open Door Care Network. The drive is sustained entirely by donations from the community.
For many of the families served by Open Door, financial pressures and other challenges can make the holiday season particularly difficult. With the costs of housing, food and everyday necessities stretching household budgets, holiday gifts can become an added burden. Give a Toy and Share the Joy helps ease that pressure while bringing joy to children and their families.
“We get to know the children and families we care for, and we understand that many are facing challenges that extend well beyond their healthcare needs,” said Andrea Ruggiero, Executive Vice President, Community Health at Open Door Care Network. “For nearly 40 years, this program has been one way our community comes together to support those families. It’s about making the holidays a little brighter and reminding families that they have a community standing behind them.”
“Local companies, individuals, families, and schools are all encouraged to support the campaign by sponsoring toy drives or making donations through the first two weeks of December,” said Wendy Armstrong, senior manager of volunteer programs at Open Door. “In addition to new toys, we hope to provide our families with holiday gift bundles that will include books, pajamas and stocking stuffers. This year, we are promoting the theme ‘more family time and less screen time.’ We ask that donors look for interactive toys, puzzles, board games and all kinds of kits. The generosity of our donors has made such a huge difference in making the holiday season so very special for these youngsters and their families.”
The annual toy drive began in 1987 with a local family collecting 100 toys at their holiday party to distribute to Open Door patients in Ossining. Today, families register for a time to pick up their holiday bags on a designated day in December at three Open Door locations: Ossining, Port Chester, and Mount Kisco. Families served at other health centers will be invited to their closest participating location. Families served by FSW will pick up their gifts at a location in White Plains.
Each year, volunteers are needed to sort and distribute toys. For additional information on supporting the drive, contact warmstrong@odfmc.org or call 914-305-6877.
