We absolutely loved our Volunteer Day with The TOY Project last month. Founded in 2013 by Jane Garfield and Angela Donovan, after they saw how some children had more toys than others, how schools needed resources but had little funds to source them, and importantly, how toys can help reduce stress and playing can help children in times of stress or grief. They started by collecting unwanted toys to distribute to those most in need and today, The TOY Project focuses on recycling unwanted toys and giving them to children who need them, encouraging learning through play by funding Lego workshops, art workshops and storytelling, as well as raising money to fund projects such as toy and book libraries, murals and community events.
Our Volunteer Day began with a tour of their wonderful shop and gallery space, followed by an under 4’s story telling session, where local families joined an interactive story telling of Giraffes Can’t Dance and Guess How Much I Love you, which we had donated Guess How Much I Love You soft toys and book and plush sets for. It was really lovely to see all the kids so engaged in the story and playing with our toys. We then got stuck in to helping The TOY Project sort, build and package, to provide toys to those most in need.
We also sponsored The TOY Project playroom for the month of July and donated a plethora of cute and cuddly gifts for the many families the charity supports. This Volunteer Day demonstrated to us how impressive and important this charity is to its communities.
Kevin, our Product Development Manager commented “It was a great day, and an important experience for the Creative Services team, who are responsible for all of our product development. It gave us all a greater understanding of the value and impact of toys on a child’s life, as well as the importance of play for both children and adults. And allowing us to see first hand, children playing with the toys we have produced was truly amazing, and validates all the love and hard work we put into developing our products!”
