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We are
currently gearing up for the 2009 holiday season at our “Priceless
Gift” Toy Store. Last year we served the families of 4509 children with
free toys for Christmas. These toys were all donated and made “gift
ready” by our volunteers.
Toy donation drives will be held at
our NEW Ministry Center, 1501 East Michigan Ave. Drives will be held
each Saturday from now until November 19 with the exception of October
31. Donations will be accepted from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. We are seeking
churches, schools, service groups, neighborhoods and businesses to host
donation drives at their site or the ministry center. Sponsoring groups
collect toys at each site, sort, clean and package the toys.
Since we anticipate giving to 6000 children this year, many toys are
needed. We will especially need toys for older children. Suggestions
have been body wash, body spray, books, art supplies, candy, earrings,
and bracelets. We are also looking for donations of doll clothes; “zip”
style quart and gallon bags, zippered blanket bags health care items
for gift baskets and batteries, especially AA. We also use “magic
erasers and baby wipes to clean the toys.
The toy store will
open at the St. Vincent de Paul Ministry Center, on Friday, November 27,
the day after Thanksgiving until December 17. The store will be open
Wednesday through Saturday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm except on Thursdays
when we are open until 7:00 pm. Individuals or volunteer groups are
needed to staff the store during these times.
Additional toy
drives sites and their hosting groups will be posted as they become
available. Please help us to make this the most successful holiday
season ever.
During the 2008 holiday season 4507 children were gifted with free toys through a partnership with
the ministry “Together We Can Make A Difference”. One thousand five hundred
families received gift baskets containing personal care items of soap,
shampoo, bathroom tissue, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. We
distributed 3815 Christmas stockings, 505 baby blankets, 300 bracelets,
1000 hats and 1300 dolls as well as scarves, gloves and mittens – each
of them handmade with love.
 The
Priceless Gift Toy Store would not exist without the continued help of
each of you who contributed to the store through your donation of toys
or time. Each year we have seen an increase in number of children
served by over one thousand.
If you would like to help make the Christmas season brighter for the
children of Jackson’s needy in 2009 please consider donating your time
or resources to the Priceless Gift Toy Store. Contact Wendy
Wight of Together We Can Make a Difference at 740-8444 or David Kemler
at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, 784-0721.
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