Nationwide Childrens Hospital Hosts Annual Holiday Toy Drive

November 17, 2016

The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Annual Toy Drive to benefit patients at Nationwide Children’s will be held Saturday, December 3, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
Donations will be accepted at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Downtown Outpatient Care Center Entrance located at 555 South 18th Street. Interested persons should enter the Outpatient Care Center driveway just past the valet stand and follow the signs for the toy drop off where volunteers and staff will accept toy donations for patients while donors remain in their cars.
 
After Dec. 3, donations can be received between 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Fridays. All donations must be received by noon on Friday, Dec. 23 and donations cannot be accepted from Dec. 24-26. If supporters are unable to attend the Dec. 3 event and are bringing a large donation of 50 items or more, please call 614-722-3635 in advance so the appropriate staff and volunteers can accommodate the drop off.
 
Each year during the holidays, Nationwide Children’s receives countless phone calls and emails from the community asking about donating toys to patients. A gift of toys, games or activity supplies can make a big difference to children and families spending time in the hospital, especially during the holidays. While donations of food or clothing cannot be accepted, the following items are ideal:
 
• Infant & Toddler toys – Especially those that are musical and/or light-up (all plastic please) 
• Teethers/Rattles
• Musical soothers (plastic without cloth parts)
• Lego sets (small and medium sizes)
• UNO Card Games
• Little Tike & Fisher Price action structures and parts, people, cars, animals & trains
• DVD’s, including Disney, Pixar, Teen appropriate movies – PG-13, no R please
• Art supplies (24-pack crayons, markers, color pencils, scissors), coloring books, craft kits
• Play-Doh and Play-Doh kits 
• Amazon gift cards
 
All donated items should not be wrapped. Because of concerns regarding infection control and allergies, the hospital cannot accept used toys or used stuffed animals, including toys or stuffed animals that have never been played with, but have been in a home as part of a collection. Additionally, because of privacy laws, there will not be an opportunity to personally distribute items to patients and families. For more information on the appropriate types of toys and gifts Nationwide Children’s can accept, please click on the following link:
 
MEDIA CONTACT PRIOR TO TOY DRIVE:
Media Relations Team
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
(614) 355-0495
 
CONTACT DURING TOY DRIVE:
Linda Sandvik
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation
Linda Sandvik Cell: 614-595-0713

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.