My Personal Experience with a Toy Drive

Every year for the last 10 years I have been sending out the same message about my PERSONAL experience with a Toy Drive. I made a promise that each year I would tell my story and let others make their own decisions whether they still wish to donate to this type of "feel good" holiday tradition.

In years past many people emailed to say they are of the same opinion, while a few emailed to tell me that toy drives do good work in their community. I merely ask that you read my story and choose for yourself if you wish to contribute your time and money.

Years ago I was employed at a large corporation that, due to my position made me a "public community figure". I was asked by a group, who is well known for their yearly Toy Drive, to join them in their efforts to bring holiday cheer to those less fortunate by encouraging others to donate.

This particular year I was a single parent, who was barely making ends meet. My kids were grade school age, and as all kids that age, they had a Christmas Wish List of toys they wanted. I had absolutely NO money to buy toys for my kids that year but, wanting to teach them the true meaning of Christmas, (that it is better to give than to receive), I had them help me with the duties for this endeavor. We collected and sorted toys and when the time came they helped at the distribution.

I was SHOCKED at some of the toys that were donated! Most were Barbies, stuffed toys, cars, and balls, but there were also many expensive electronic toys; Game Boys, CD players, an electric guitar, and bikes galore! Some of the same gifts that were on my kids' lists! It was easy during that time to tell them these were NOT for them, but for kids who had far less than we did. But then the time came to distribute the toys during the week of Christmas and all my good intentions and feelings of charity were dashed to pieces.

We managed to collect "mountains" of toys and we selected an "after school center" where we were going to distribute the toys to these "poor and unfortunate children". We arrived with TWO (2) rented moving vans FULL of toys. We came with some "celebrity types" and the media. When we walked in I expected to see kids run to greet Santa, but instead hardly a kid even raised an eyebrow. They had NO interest in getting these toys at all. The bigger kids didn't want to interrupt their basketball game and the younger kids accepted one toy and went off in a corner to play with it. Since the media was there and we still had a truck and a half full of toys to pass out it was beginning to look REALLY EMBARRASSING. So, we began to bribe the kids to line up again and again to make it look like there was a huge turn out. The club director excused the kids by saying this was their FOURTH (4th) toy give-a-away THAT WEEK!!! He said they had lost interest.

What finally did me in though was when I walked to the back of the gym area to use the restroom and I turned the corner only to find a group of boys who had a Barbie doll and they had lit it on fire and were watching it melt!!!

When the parents arrived to pick up their kids many of them told the kids to just leave the toys there. The floor was littered with leftover toys, many broken and discarded. When we left our truck driver said he was taking the rest to the Catholic church up the street. The following day he came in and said the church was taking them to Tijuana.

That year my kids did not get what they wanted from their wish list, but I learned a HUGE life long lesson. I will NEVER donate to another toy, food, or clothing drive ever again. I will only donate when I know EXACTLY whose hands it's going into and that they are truly worthy of it.

This year I am donating to Judicial Watch and to an animal rescue center.