Each year, thousands of needy children depend on the love and generosity of their neighbors to help make the holiday a happy one. Many larger, well funded organizations reach out to the community, ask for donations and are able to offer food, clothing, gifts and toys to needy families. Pleas of many smaller organizations are never heard. This year, according to Jocelyn Goldberg, founder of the New York City Chapter of Second Chance Toys, "Many smaller charities that don’t have the resources or manpower to ask for help were able to come to our website and connect with toy drives going on throughout New York City. Drives held at organizations like Rapid Park Garages -- located throughout Manhattan –were able to collect and donate over 2,400 toys to organizations that otherwise would never have been able to connect with them.
This year toys were donated to groups that include:
- Association to Benefit Children
- East Harlem Community Center
- New Creation Christian Church
- Mother-Child Crisis Center (Covenant House)
- Dads United for Parenting (Midtown Community Court)
- Brooklyn Family Defense Project
- St John’s Place Family Shelter
- Toys of Hope
- Save the Children of NY
- NY Kids Foundation
- Bethel Gospel Assembly
1-800-GotJunk? donated time and services to transport the toys to each of these organizations.
