Holiday Toy Drive - Voices for Children

The holidays are right around the corner! Each year, with the help of our AMAZING community partners, we have been able to provide HUNDREDS of children with a gift to open during the holidays. In 2019 alone, our GAL volunteers were able to select 1,308 gifts for 654 kids – all thanks to YOU! 

Our 2020 Toy Shop will look a bit different. In fact, we won’t be able to set up shop like in year’s past, but we still need your help! With face to face interactions discouraged and less collection boxes being distributed around Tampa Bay, we are expecting a significant decrease in toy donations this year. We would love to have you involved again! In fact, we need you! Here are a few ways you can still support our Holiday Toy Drive and Toy Shop this year:

• Traditional Toy Drive – It still works for you? Excellent! This works for us too. Just let us know! We can provide you with a list of suggested items and you can go to town, just like always. You can drop items off at the GAL or VFC Offices on 11/30 or 12/1 between 10AM – 2PM.
• Virtual Toy/Gift Card Drive –Everyone you know working off-site? No problem – we’ve got this! Here is our link to our Virtual Toy/Gift Card Drive for you to share:

https://amzn.to/32NnfVK

It’s REALLY easy! Folks will click on and item or two and the items will be sent directly to the VFC office.  It goes right through their Amazon account! Done!

• Monetary Donation -  If this is easier – we are all for it!  Your donation will be tax deductible and ALL FUNDING will be utilized to purchase toys and gift cards, so every child in our care will have a gift to open this holiday season. It’s as simple as that! 

If your Company or/or employees are interested Make Checks payable to

Voices for Children and mail to our offices at:

3314 Henderson Blvd, Suite 207, Tampa 33609

OR you can make a donation online at: https://vfcgal.org/donate/

Every year, thanks to all of you, we have been able to yield approximately $40,000 of in-kind donations for these children during the holidays to ensure that ALL young people in Hillsborough County have had a gift to open!  We don’t want to stop! These children depend on us! We have been able to deliver year after year and amid this crisis, we need your continued support now more than ever. 

If you need that extra push, check out some of the actual requests that are rolling in from our Guardian ad Litem Volunteers:

• Child is a 10-year-old sexual abuse victim who is spending his first Christmas in a group foster home, without his sister or any family. He has severe autism. He would love a gift of a new comforting Spiderman blanket.
• Child is separated from each of her 3 other siblings and lives in a foster home in a different county from their locations. There is no family to provide her with gifts. She has been TPR'd (parental rights have been terminated) and will start the adoption process soon. She is worried that no one will remember her.
• She has had 6-7 placements (she has anger issues) and I think she could use gifts from anyone who is willing to show her affection. I will buy for her too but I think she needs to know there are more people than just myself that cares about her.
• Child has had a very difficult year, with no family in his life. He has been moved multiple times and I do not think he will receive many gifts, if any, on Christmas this year. His non-family placement does not have any additional spending money and have children of their own in the house.

We are happy to answer any questions and concerns you may have.  As always, we are thankful for your partnership!