Holiday Partners running low on toys for some children

Volunteers with Holiday Partners are checking their lists twice so hundreds of children can have a joyful Christmas.

But they are running a little low on gifts in some areas, said Jeanie Dubrouillet, coordinator of the program run by the United Way of York County. It’s not too late for people to contribute, though she said donations are needed quickly.

Packing the gifts for children in need began last week and will continue up until Christmas when the needs are met.

Volunteers have been running low on gifts for both boys and girls in the 9- to 11-year-old age group, Dubrouillet said. Donors can contribute new toys or they can send cash that will be used to buy toys.

Holiday Partners is a collaborative effort between The Herald’s Empty Stocking Fund and WRHI’s Toys for Happiness, providing toys to brighten the holidays of children across York County.

The program serves families in need with children from birth to age 14.

Volunteers seem to be in good shape with dolls and a variety of gifts for younger children, ages 2 to 4, including crayons and coloring books, Dubrouillet said.

Some of the items popular among children ages 9 to 11 include LEGO building kits for Star Wars or cars, Nerf guns, soccer balls and heavy-duty flying discs.

Other popular building toys include K’nex, Tinker Toys and magnetic building toys.

Items popular among girls in the 9- to 11-year-old age group include craft kits, like beading and bracelet making, and jewelry. They also need larger, heavy-duty puzzles and art supplies for older children, like paint by number items and books where kids can color in designs.

Board games for all ages, including those that families can play together, are also needed.

“We had a lot of games,” Dubrouillet said, “but we have gone through them.”

Cash donations can be used to fill in the gaps.

“If people don’t want to shop, if they want to give cash toward letting somebody else shop,” Dubrouillet said, “we do have a lady – I call her our toy procurement expert – who will go shopping with the money that is provided, and she can fill in the gaps.”

Volunteers are sometimes able to stretch the money that’s donated by getting a discount on toys because they are for a charitable group.

“People have been so generous,” Dubrouillet said. “We really have a lot of toys, but we are looking at 1,500 kids. We try to put two items from a table and stocking stuffers or a game or book or a craft for each child.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Holiday Partners running low on toys for some children."