

Many even run toy drives or other charity initiatives during the holiday season to ensure kids and families can celebrate accordingly. The leader of your faith-based community may know of families within the congregation who could use a few new toys. Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and other Religious Organizations The organization accepts gently used stuffed animals, blankets, books, children's clothes and baby items, and sends them to local organizations that can use the donations for youngsters in stressful situations. You can also send your items to Stuffed Animals for Emergencies. Reach out to your local police and fire departments to see if they're accepting them or running any toy drives for the holiday season. Police officers and firefighters often carry stuffed animals and other small toys with them to help comfort children at the scenes of traumatic events, and their supply of toys often depends on donations. Especially you have a lot of lightly used toys that need a second life, contact a center in your area to see if they're able to accept your items. Not all of them accept donations, but it's always worth a shot.

If you've ever been to a daycare center, you know the sheer volume of kids can be rough on toys. The Child Welfare Information Gateway is a good place to start. Your local children's or social services office might also be able to direct you to children in the foster care system and other children in need who would greatly appreciate gently used toys.
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Contact the organization you'd like to help to find out any specifications they have in place, as well as how to get the toys to them. Children's Homes and Sheltersīrighten a child's day during a tough time in their life by sending them to a nearby children's or women's shelter. Jurgita Vaicikeviciene / EyeEm // Getty Images 4. Cradles to Crayons also accepts new and almost-new toys to benefit low-income families. Toys for Tots hosts large-scale toy drives around the holidays, but they also accept gently used toys year-round. Toys for Tots is a United States Marine Corps Reserve-run program that gives donated toys to kids who may not otherwise have any. For example, thrift-store organizations like Goodwill and The Salvation Army will resell toys at a deep discount and use the profits to support their charitable work. Many charities will accept gently used toys and distribute them to children in need. And while you're on a decluttering spree, don't miss the best places to donate clothes. Before you pack up the car, always call ahead to make sure the organization is currently accepting donations and whether they have any parameters you'll need to follow.

Here are some of the best places to donate toys, including electronics, stuffed animals, dolls and other playthings. But unless those discarded toys are dirty or broken, don't send them to the landfill: plenty of kids would love to give them a new home. As kids grow, they develop new interests and skills, and former favorites get tossed aside like yesterday's news. If you're adding exciting new toys to your kid's collection, some of their old ones might need swapping out.
