P2P’s Holiday Toy Store is All About the Kids
Our goal this year was to bring joy to as many kids as possible, especially given the heavy burdens their families are enduring, exacerbated by the pandemic. Thanks to the people who support the Toy Store, from the committee, volunteers, donors, and staff … we made it happen.
Due to COVID, there were two key goals going into Toy Store this year. First, we had to make it a joyful and positive experience for our clients. Second, we had to make it safe for everyone involved.
To follow safety guidelines, we could no longer host our traditional indoor Toy Store. The Toy Store committee, including Katie Carr, Lisa Koorbusch, Becky Palmer, Judy Marzen, Katie McCormick, Martha Chavez Parizot, Amy Gold, Victoria Pulido-Castellanos, Nicole Intile, Jeremy Leone, and Megan McGrath, quickly shifted the plan to a drive-thru model. This would mean more organization, more prep work, and more fundraising – but they were up for the challenge. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able to deliver on both of our goals: joy and safety.
Because clients were not able to select their own gifts in a traditional store, we had to make the drive-thru holiday gift bundles special. Each recipient received a bundle valued at $50, including a gift card, age appropriate book, family board game, and a stocking stuffer or stuffed animal. And, each bundle was presenting a hand-decorated gift bag by volunteer groups from STAR Inc, Girl Scouts Troop #50469, Girl Scouts Troop #50378, The King School, New Canaan Country School, and REACH students at St. Jerome Church in Norwalk; the bags themselves were donated by Flexo Converters.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able to distribute holiday bundles and gift cards to nearly 2,000 recipients. For the committee members, volunteers, and staff, we loved meeting P2P families and sharing a little joy in what has been a difficult year for so many.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make it happen – especially everyone who donated to our virtual Toy Drive, ordered from our Amazon wish list, donated gift cards, donated toys, donated books, and participated to make this our biggest Toy Store ever!
We also want to thank the many volunteer “elves” who helped distribute gift bags, as well as our amazing P2P staff for their tireless hours of work on this event.
Below are a few highlights from Toy Store. You can also see more coverage from News 12 and The Darien Times.
