Kiwi Magazine: Toys Get a Second Chance

One afternoon eight years ago Sasha Lipton, then 16 years old, was driving around her New Jersey town with her mom when she noticed something upsetting: Plastic toys that looked almost new were heaped on curbs alongside bags of trash, destined for the dump.

“I knew there were less fortunate kids in nearby towns who would really appreciate those toys,” says Lipton, now 24. “I thought it was so sad that they were being thrown away. 

Lipton’s mom, who had always taught her daughter to give back, pulled the car to the side of the road, and the two collected every plastic toy they saw on their way home.

Initially, Lipton worried that her father wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to see the piles of toys she and her mom had picked up and stored in the basement. But when she explained that she wanted to donate them, he immediately offered to help collect more. The family spent the rest of the year hunting for discarded plastic toys, rescuing any they found that were in good condition and adding them to their stash. Lipton gave their new charity a name: Second Chance Toy. 

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