Toy Industry Foundation Supports Children Affected by Hurricane Sandy

December 4, 2012 | The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and partner Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) have come together to provide relief for the thousands of children that have been left homeless or have lost all of their belongings due to Hurricane Sandy.

Through K.I.D.S., diapers, clothing, blankets, and food have been distributed to areas with the most critical need, and donors to TIF’s Toy Bank have quickly responded and stepped up to provide toys to approximately 40,000 of the youngest storm victims in all five NYC boroughs, as well as to Long Island and New Jersey.

“We all understand the importance of play, especially during times like these,” said Melissa Sorvillo, coordinator of the Toy Industry Foundation. “A new art set to express their thoughts in color, a cuddly doll to tell their story to, or a new game to provide a distraction all have a profound impact on those severely affected by the storm.”

Charities in the Toy Bank Network that received donations include: Project Hospitality, Staten Island, NY; Shorefront YM-YWHA of Brighton-Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, NY; Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY; Millenium Sistahs, Uniondale, NY; Safe Space NYC Inc., Jamaica, NY; Village Academy, Far Rockaway, NY; Community FoodBank of New Jersey; and Cumac Echo, Paterson, NJ; and more. This relief effort was made possible by the generosity of companies in the toy industry including:

In addition to the response effort with K.I.D.S., TIF has been working with Children’s Museum of Manhattan to support pediatric cancer patients who are dealing with the complexity of being displaced without electricity or transportation in the midst of receiving medical care. Thanks to generous donations from Crayola LLC, The Chenille Craft Company, Do-a-Dot Art!, International Arrivals, and CRA-Z-Art, 250 children at Memorial Sloan Kettering now have crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, coloring books, journals and more so that they can enjoy a creative outlet with arts and crafts activities while they receive treatment.

Throughout the holiday season, TIF will continue to support Sandy-affected areas and those across America who are less fortunate through the annual Holiday Toy Drive. To donate toys, toy companies should submit a completed Toy Bank form to thetoybank@toyindustrydounation.org.