Every year, the Parenting Center of the South Orange Maplewood School District collects new, unwrapped toys to distribute to needy families in the district for Hanukah and Christmas. This year the drive runs until December 14. 

Last year, the number of families served increased by 10% and toys were delivered to 110 families.

How are families selected? When parents of elementary school children sign up for free breakfast or lunch (through a Federal assistance program to low-income families), they have the option to release that information to the Parenting Center and be eligible for the toy drive, said Karen Weiland of the Parenting Center. She said that parents, at that time, can provide the Center with the age, gender and preferences of children living at home. Social workers in the schools also refer families for the program.

Weiland reports that when Holiday Toy Drive time comes around, program chairs Abby Cotler and Lorraine Caputo go into "frenetic" action, getting the word out to the community. The toys are accepted at the school district offices at 525 Academy Street as well as all elementary schools throughout the district. Each year, some businesses get into the act, and this year the middle schools and Columbia High School are also involved.

"The teachers union also collects toys for the drive," said Weiland.

On December 14, the interns and volunteers line the halls outside Weiland's office with the toys. "They make it look like Toys R Us." Steering committee members and volunteers--often with their own children tagging along--then take family lists and sort toys to match the requests, filling and labeling bags for delivery.

"It's lovely to see the kids helping," said Weiland. Don't they want to take a few toys for themselves? "Not at all," said Weiland. "They are great. And this really helps foster the idea of giving."

The toys are mostly delivered by the volunteers, though some families come and pick up. Deliveries are made during school hours so the children won't know. The toys are also delivered unwrapped, not only because wrapping all those presents would be "daunting," said Weiland, but also to enable parents to personalize the gifts with their own wrapping.

Patch and Fringe Salon are partnering next Wednesday, December 9, to collect more toys for the drive. Patch will have a table, staff and collection bins outside Fringe Salon from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to collect new, unwrapped toys. Fringe has already sent an email blast to its customers promoting the toy drive. Patch will deliver toys collected next Wednesday directly to the Parenting Center at 525 Academy Street.

Toys are accepted for children from infancy through age 16 (really any child in the household will receive toys, said Weiland). The hardest group to drum up toys for? Middle school and high school boys.

"People love buying adorable dolls," said Weiland, but often are at a loss for what to buy a 12-year-old or 15-year-old boy. Weiland suggests lots of sports equipment and electronics or a gift certificate to an electronics store. "You can get those cheaper MP3 players for $20 or $30."

"Most of the parents are single moms," said Weiland. "We often deliver and the moms sit down and cry and tell us how anxious and worried they have been that they wouldn't have toys for their children."

This program, said Weiland, "is a measure of our community."