An anti-poverty agency is making a public plea for unwrapped toys for children 12 or under in order to meet a formidable goal: 6,000 toys or donations by Dec. 15.
“An awful lot of people are hurting,” said John Drew, president and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development. “People should not have to go through the holidays without a celebration and a toy for their kids.”
The 6,000 toys would be enough for 700 families’ children, said Susan Kooperstein, an ABCD spokeswoman. Right now, the only toys the nonprofit has is a few hundred left over from last year, she said.
If ABCD falls short of its goal, Drew said, it will give families a $100 gift card and follow up with them in the new year to see what else they may need.
“I feel bad because they’re really excited when first they call, and then the interaction shifts when they find out they’re being put on a waitlist,” said Bianny Suncar, director of the ABCD’s Mattapan Family Service Center and overseer of the toy drive.
