Urgent call for help: High Point Community Center needs 400 toys

| High Point | How to help | West Seattle news

Thanks to Kendra for letting us know about this – we’ve just confirmed it with Brian Judd at High Point Community Center: They were supposed to have a Toys for Tots distribution event at the center this past Monday, but Toys for Tots has been having a regional shortage, and didn’t bring toys to distribute to the families. So now they are trying to directly collect enough toys to make holiday wishes come true for the families NEXT Monday at 2 pm. Between now and Saturday afternoon, bring unwrapped toys for any age, 3 through 18, to High Point CC (6920 34th SW; here’s a map; they’re open till 9 tonight, 10 am-9 pm tomorrow, 1-9 pm Friday, 10 am-5 pm Saturday) – they hope to have 400 by the time the families all show up again on Monday. ADDED 5:04 PM: If you have extra donation ability, here’s another request we received, from Maria at DNDA:

We provide affordable housing to low income families and are in dire need of gifts for their families. We have about 17 families that need gifts this year.We have a lot of children that will be needing toys this year and are going with out. If you can provide a toy or donate money please contact Phillippia Goldsmith at
Phillippiag@dnda.org or call at (206) 935-2999

Meghan December 16, 2009 (1:52 pm)

If making it possible for a needy child to have a toy on Christmas morning isn’t a worthwhile cause, I don’t know what it. I challenge everyone who reads this to go to Target (or wherever), spend $10-15 (or whatever you can spare) on a few toys (the monetary value is less important than the fact that it’s fun and new), and bring them over to the High Point community center. I am going to go there after work today. I just KNOW the West Seattle community is generous and giving enough to make this happen!!!

Danielle December 16, 2009 (2:25 pm)

I put the following as my facebook status:

URGENT: High Point CC needs 400 toys. they were suppose to get donations from toys 4 tots, the program ran out. 6920 34th SW. donate & pass this on!

I encourage any and everyone who is on facebook to cut and paste it! We care about our WS kids…time to step up. Target here I come!

WSB December 16, 2009 (2:34 pm)

Thank you, Danielle, We shared it on FB too (we’re at
http://facebook.com/westseattleblog ) but everybody who in turn shares it with their network will help make this come true. And all the other giving opportunities in WS – more on them a bit later today – we are working on some specific stories about the major agencies like the food banks – TR

MargL December 16, 2009 (3:22 pm)

Is this because the Toys 4 Tots program has cut back and is only delivering toys to kids receiving public assistance?
http://www.toys4tots.org/node/33

WSB December 16, 2009 (3:44 pm)

Marg – I haven’t looked into the specific Toys for Tots issues yet but I did see on some citywide site earlier this week that they were dramatically down in donations. At this point I just hoped that folks would step forward to bring toys straight to the venue rather than dealing with a middleperson … TR

Eli December 16, 2009 (3:59 pm)

Just put the notice up on my facebook as well. Great idea Danielle!

Colleen December 16, 2009 (4:28 pm)

ditto on sharing the link! Got all my own Christmas shopping done online but for this, I’ll go in the stores!

Janet December 16, 2009 (4:51 pm)

This just breaks my heart. I am bringing the the ‘big’ toys I have been hiding in my trunk from my 3-year-old right over to High Point and posting this message on facebook (where I first saw the alert). Thank you for sharing this.

iml December 16, 2009 (5:12 pm)

Way to go Janet! That is the true xmas spirit! I am going to target tonight.

add December 16, 2009 (5:20 pm)

Marshall’s usually has a great selection of toys & books this time of year – and good prices, too!

Dan\'a December 16, 2009 (6:18 pm)

I am totally clueless as to what kids want, but my hubby and I did our best at Target. I am sure there are some parents that wondered why I was asking their kids so many questions :) Now I am well versed in Dora, Thomas the Tank Engine and Bionicles!
Please keep us posted on if more is needed. I love shopping for toys!

WSB December 16, 2009 (6:27 pm)

Thanks, D and others. Re: more being needed – check the item I added to this later in the day; there’s another 17 families who need help. And of course so many businesses, schools, offices have Giving Trees – we’re trying to check in with more of the local nonprofits to proactively find out what needs haven’t been addressed yet – see the Holidays page for some of the ongoing donation drives – TR

Deanne Sposari December 16, 2009 (9:06 pm)

Thanks WS Blog for letting us know how we can help. It is on my facebook page. It will all work out!

beth December 16, 2009 (9:58 pm)

I went to Barnes and Noble. Great options for $5 the little books with necklaces for girls and search and find books for boys. Dont forget the teenagers- beauty products, Tshirts are usually a hit.

Kendra December 16, 2009 (9:59 pm)

Yea! I’m so glad others are going to help too. I’m headed to the store this weekend to buy toys and take them to the community center. I live about a block away, and think it’s terrible they didn’t have a single toy to hand out on Monday!

WSB December 16, 2009 (10:06 pm)

thanks again for the heads-up, Kendra!

sad December 16, 2009 (10:11 pm)

We donate toys every year either way – so this just kills me. I will be at Target tomorrow – drop off Friday likely. Thanks WSB. Saw it in the Times too.

WSB December 16, 2009 (10:25 pm)

In case anyone wondered, when I called HPCC, I said we hadn’t heard about this before it happened and would have been happy to help get the call out for toys BEFORE a bunch of people showed up this past Monday and were disappointed … apparently this was being done with a ‘partner organization’ which thought everything would be OK till the Toys for Tots shortage intruded. Hopefully there’ll be plenty when everyone shows up NEXT Monday. Thanks to all for their generosity, and a reminder again about the giving trees and other donation drives on our Holidays page – many are winding up in the next few days so there’s time to get everything distributed by Christmas – we can all be Santa for as much as we can afford to give … TR

Meghan December 17, 2009 (6:53 am)

What a wonderful ocmmunity!! For anyone concerned their money won’t go very far, I was surprised at how far my money went at Target. They have a lot of fun-looking toys for less than $10.00. If we all give whatever we can afford, all those kids (who obviously have it relatively tough to begin with) will have a happy memory on Xmas morning. And thanks for the reminder not to forget the teens and tweens!!!

madashell December 17, 2009 (8:23 am)

I am so there tonight with toys from Target. I read about the Toys for Tots shortage, but their remaining dropoff locations were far away (Shoreline, Auburn). I’m glad I can help someone close to home.

Gina December 17, 2009 (9:29 am)

All Seattle fire stations are Toys for Tots dropoff points. The information never seems to show up on the Toys for Tots website.

WSB December 17, 2009 (9:46 am)

Thanks, Gina. And we haven’t received any news releases about that, either, or else it would have been on our Holidays page – TR

SomeGuy December 17, 2009 (11:00 am)

I have no doubt that the good people of WS will come through on this. My only question is what the plan will be for the extra (meaning more than 400) toys that will be donated?

Celeste17 December 17, 2009 (6:30 pm)

I saw an ad for Walgren’s tonight that was advertising 2 for 1 toys (I think the cost was 12.95). I have two toys that I picked up for my church’s giving tree but because I was sick last weekend I didn’t get them there so I will donate them to HPCC tomorrow. Plus I will see what else I can find.

Jessica December 18, 2009 (1:26 pm)

Any specific requests/things really needed for High Point toy collection? I can drop something off Saturday. I’m not around kids, want to make sure i give something that is a real gift!

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