GREENFIELD — Fundraising efforts for the Giving Back Together Toy Drive will continue on Sunday, Nov. 23, with a holiday boot drive from noon to 3 p.m.
Volunteers will collect cash and gift cards at the intersection of Federal and Main streets. QR codes will also be available for Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, and Walmart and Amazon wish lists for families receiving the donations.
“We’re just making sure that everybody has something under the tree this Christmas,” said Heather Taylor, who started the toy drive to help prevent local babies, children and teens from experiencing Christmas mornings similar to hers.
“I can remember waking up on Christmas and there was nothing under the Christmas tree,” said Taylor, who grew up with parents grappling with addiction. “I had to explain to my younger brother and sister why Santa didn’t come, and it was just devastating.”
Later, Taylor faced addiction herself. “When I was early on in my recovery, it was important for me to give back to the community.” In 2013, she noticed a local need for donated toys for the holidays, and the toy drive grew from there.
According to Taylor, in its first year, 20 children received donated toys for Christmas. By 2024, the effort had grown to provide 950 children with gifts. Since the donation events kicked off in October, 50 more families have registered to receive toys compared to this time last year, Taylor noted.
“The need in the community with everything that’s going on in the world seems way higher than it’s ever been, and I say that every year,” Taylor said.
Greenfield drop-off locations for new, unwrapped toys include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Beck’s Automotive, Sandri Energy, Ford of Greenfield and a home at 33 Spruce St. Outside Greenfield, donors can drop off toys at 77 Second St. in Turners Falls, 10 Mechanic St. in Shelburne Falls, the Dollar General in Bernardston, 88 Brown St. in Athol and Athol Credit Union.
Taylor is still seeking other drop-off locations and encourages anyone who is interested to email her at givingbacktogether@yahoo.com.
Volunteers will also collect donations at Moonlight Magic on Friday, Nov. 28, in Shelburne Falls. Visitors can enter a raffle for prizes like raffle baskets and a homemade Ford bench.
The Shelburne and Colrain Police departments will host a “Stuff the Cruiser Toy Drive” on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Apex Orchards. After visitors donate money or gift cards and drop off new, unwrapped toys to fill a cruiser, they can sip on warm beverages and eat food from Cliff’s Smokin’ Backyard BBQ.
Donation events will continue with “Paws with Claus” at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees can snap photos of their pets with Santa Claus, and donate toys to the Giving Back Together Toy Drive and money to the Pawsitive Pantry, a nonprofit that provides a safety net to help pets whose families have fallen on hard times.
“Happy Ho Ho Ho” will give visitors another chance to drop off toys for the toy drive and food for the Franklin Area Survival Center as they meet Santa, snack on bagels and sip hot chocolate on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Erving Senior & Community Center.
Volunteers will finally distribute the gifts on Dec. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Faith Church. Taylor noted that while donations are accepted until Dec. 20, toys donated on Dec. 19 or 20 must be dropped off at Faith Church, with distribution right around the corner.
“We’re really just trying to reach as many people in the community as possible,” she said.
