Feel Good Friday - Second Chance Toys

With the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays coming up and birthdays happening every year, toys are on my mind. What a great time to learn about Second Chance Toys.

Founded in 2006 by Sasha Lipton and headquartered in Springfield, New Jersey, Second Chance Toys (SCT) “keeps plastic toys out of the landfills by donating them to children in need.” Here’s why.

According to information on the SCT website, “toys can enhance a child’s development by helping promote socialization, creativity, emotional security, motor skills, and learning.” All that and they’re a lot of fun. However, with 11 million children in 2023 living in poverty in the United States, not every family can provide toys for their children. That’s where Second Chance Toys comes in.

Twice a year, SCT collects unwanted plastic toys and donates them to organizations that care for children in need. Because plastic toys often show little signs of wear, passing them on to other children diverts them from becoming waste in a landfill while also giving those children toys they might not otherwise have. This one-minute video gives a great overview: A Second Chance Toys Story.

The toy collections are held twice a year by SCT. First during April for Earth Week and then again in November and December for the holidays. Their demand for toys now exceeds 1,000,000 so let’s talk about ways you can help.

Donate any toys you no longer need. If you have toys that are plastic and clean with no small or missing parts, check this map for locations where you can drop them off. If you’d like to increase your impact, contact family, friends, or local businesses and schools to pool donations. Once you collect and prepare these toys, you can make arrangements with one of the eligible organizations to drop them off. If you really want to make a difference, get media coverage for your toy drive. Check out these resources such as flyers explaining what toys can be donated and posts for social media.

If you work at an organization that cares for children in need, or know someone who does, fill out this toy recipient registration form to find out if you’re eligible to receive some of the gently used toys from SCT.

Since they began, Second Chance Toys has collected and distributed 443,105 toys, which has kept over 1.5 million pounds of plastic out of landfills!

Finally, if you don’t have any toys to donate but still want to help, you can. Volunteer your time, make a monetary donation, and spread the word on social media. Like the Second Chance Toys Facebook page and follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn.