OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence, a resource center that provides services and products to local nonprofits, sponsored five regional toy distributions with toys provided by Marine Toys for Tots distributions in the Greater Cincinnati area throughout July and August. From monster trucks to balls, to ride-on toys fit for a princess, boys and girls from all over the Tri-state area felt a little bit of the holiday magic in the 90-degree summer heat.
It is Toys for Tots’ mission to provide hope and joy to more children in need every year. That is why we decided to provide another one million educational toys, books, and games to Good360 to distribute through their network of nonprofits.
“This is the second year we’ve been able to partner with Good360 and Toys for Tots on toy distributions around the Greater Cincinnati area,” said Christie Brown OneSource CEO, “This year we invited the public to our headquarters, which was a lot of fun to open our doors to a different audience and to see the joy on the children’s faces.” The event was in conjunction with the opening of their Furniture Bank to the public for the first time in its 36-year-history.
Families from surrounding neighborhoods including Westwood, Price Hill, Mt. Auburn, and as far away as Liberty Township and Wilder, KY came to participate. London Coleman from Price Hill brought her 3-year-old son, who picked out his own toys, including a monster truck.“My son always wants toys and I can’t afford them. This is so helpful. It’s perfect timing cause it’s been hard times, and this helps so much,” said Coleman.
Harlie Roberson from Avondale brought her 5-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter to pick out their own toys. “I get to let them do their own little shopping for the holidays,” said the mother of two. They left with a monkey, fairy, dinosaur dig kit, and a few books.
Mindy Calderon from the Price Hill Neighborhood brought her three daughters who really got into the “Christmas” spirit. “It’s so nice to be able to do something for them,” said Calderon. “They each picked out some princesses and loved the donuts! I also found a desk [to buy] for my daughter to use for homeschooling [at the Furniture Bank].”
Four additional Unplug and Play and DoGoodNow Toys for Tots distributions were also coordinated with BDK and the Reds Community Fund. Thousands of toys and hundreds of people came to the events throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.
Toys for Tots is dedicated to supporting families and children in need year-round as families continue to feel the lingering economic impact of the pandemic, high food and gas prices, and inflation. This distribution is part of Toys for Tots’ Summer of Smiles initiative and another example of how Marine Toys for Tots can DoGoodNow!