The Holiday season is and always will be a season of giving. From frontline workers giving their lives to save others, to volunteers giving their time and energy to better the lives of others — there are countless ways to bring smiles to those around you. But you don’t have to be a medical professional or a billion-dollar philanthropist to make someone’s day. There are plenty of great Toy Drives in and around Los Angeles to help infuse the world with a little more joy this holiday season.
Here are some great ways you can give back:
1. A Place Called Home
A Place Called Home provides a safe, nurturing environment with proven programs in arts, education, and wellness for the young people in South Central Los Angeles to help them improve their economic conditions and develop healthy, fulfilling, and purposeful lives.
Families are being asked to limit their donations to APCH to monetary funds and gift cards. Though they have collected all the toys for the 2020 Holiday Season, you can still give monetary donations and help this incredible organization: A Place Called Home
A Place Called Home
2830 S. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90011
2. Aviva’s Annual Holiday Drive
Like many organizations on this list, the need is tremendous this year for the children, youth, and families that Aviva supports. Aviva’s Adopt-A-Family and Adopt-A-Child Holiday Programs are designed to assist vulnerable children and their families who do not have the resources to celebrate the holidays. Though the organization has already gathered gifts, Aviva is still accepting financial donations.
Learn more here: Aviva’s Holiday Drive
Aviva Family and Children’s Services
7120 Franklin Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
3. Holidays from the Heart-CHLA
The Holidays from the Heart Program supports the most vulnerable and financially challenged patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The program seeks to create hope for families by fulfilling their basic needs and alleviating some of the stress felt during the holiday season. Giving is possible in three different ways:
- Financial donation
- Donate Items
- Sponsor a family
To learn more: CHLA
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Holidays from the Heart
4650 Sunset Blvd. MS #174
Los Angeles, CA 90027
4. Baby2Baby
Baby2Baby works around the clock to provide basic items to children living in poverty, ages 0-12 years. Donors can help by giving funds as well as diapers, wipes, and hygiene items (soap/shampoo). They give items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals, underserved schools, and children who lost everything in the wake of a disaster.
Donate here: Baby2Baby
5830 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
5. Spark of Love Toy Drive 2020
Every year ABC7, Southern California firefighters, and Toys for Tots join forces for the Spark of Love Toy Drive, the largest community toy drive in the nation. This is their 28th year, and they have plenty of ways you can help:
- Buy a toy here
- Text to Give: Text “SPARK” to 24365
- Donate online here
- Drop off a toy at a Subaru Retailer (the official sponsor of the drive). Subaru is making a donation for every toy dropped off at a SoCal location, up to a guaranteed donation of $40,000
- Donate by mail by sending checks to 1700 Stadium Way, #100, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Make checks out to LAFD FOUNDATION and write SPARK OF LOVE in the memo line
- Buy a t-shirt: local muralists created exclusive Spark of Love t-shirts. ABC7 is donating 100% of the proceeds to support the toy drive. Buy yours here: Spark of Love t-shirts
6. Holiday Giving Drive-Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
Every holiday season the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office provides joy to hundreds of crime victims and their families with the Holiday Giving Drive. Staff members collect donations, purchase gifts, and deliver them to victims. The California Community Foundation administers the fund, and you can learn more about donating: right here.
7. Adopt a Family
YMCA Glendale’s annual Adopt-a-Family program supports survivors of domestic violence and their children with resources to achieve self-sufficiency and live free from violence. Although their 2020 registration has closed, they are still accepting gift cards to provide to new families entering their programs through December 2020 and beyond. Discover more, here
735 E. Lexington Dr.
Glendale, CA 91206
8. Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is a well-recognized name in the charity realm, having helped millions since 1947. Though they are a national organization, there are drop-off locations all over, to give toys to help less fortunate youngsters. Los Angeles County alone has 4 locations, and there are spots also in Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County to drop off toys.
You can learn more about this generous organization: here.
9. Runway Wonderland Toy Drive
Although Playa Vista is known as the home of tech empires such as Apple, Google, and others, this year the Runway Playa Vista shopping center is teaming up with the LAPD Pacific Division to collect toys for the local community. Until December 20th, you can purchase a toy or book and drop it off at the Toy Drive bins near HUZZAH! and Micro Kickboard. (Huzzah Toys is offering a 20% discount for toys purchased for this toy drive) All the details are here.
Runway Playa Vista
12775 Millennium Drive
Playa Vista, CA 90094
Whether you’re a longtime donor to a charitable organization or a donor rookie, the above organizations are doing great things in the local Los Angeles community, and I encourage you to select one that speaks to you and help them in any way you can. The needs of today are great, and there is always someone less fortunate that can truly benefit from your generosity.
Contributor, designer & admin for JohnHart Gazette.
