COLUMBUS, Ohio – The annual holiday toy drive at Nationwide Children’s Hospital will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The location for this year's toy donation event will be at 646 Parsons Ave., 43206. This address is just south of the hospital's Human Resources/Applicant Parking garage.
Because safety remains a top priority at Nationwide Children’s, especially during the pandemic, donors are required to reserve a drop-off time and share details about the size of their toy donation. To reserve a time, click HERE.
Upon arrival, those gifting toys should follow the signage around the area. Donors are asked to remain in their vehicle and call 614-254-4063 to alert hospital staff they have arrived. A staff member will then collect the toys and place a donation form in their trunk for the donor’s personal records. All donors are strongly encouraged to wear a mask upon drop off and place all gifts in the trunk of their vehicle to maintain safe-distancing guidelines. To assist hospital staff in effectively quarantining donations, items are required to be unwrapped and packed in boxes with lids that close during drop off.
Please note, hospital staff will take recommended and extra precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.
- Staff will remain at least six feet apart during donation exchanges.
- All staff will wear a mask.
- All staff attending the Toy Drive will complete a self-assessment to ensure they are well.
In addition to the Toy Drive on Dec. 5, community members can make a scheduled toy donation until Wednesday, Dec. 16. Due to quarantine requirements, toy donations will not be accepted after Dec. 16, but gift cards and monetary donations are welcomed. Donors should visit https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/giving/ways-to-give/wish-list-for-donations to reserve their drop-off time and get details on gift card and/or monetary donations, including making an online donation.
A gift of toys, games and activity supplies can make a big difference to children and families spending time in the hospital and the community’s generosity is appreciated. Because more than half of our patients are under the age of 2, items for infants and toddlers are in high demand.
Top 10 needed items:
- Plastic infant/toddler musical light up or vibrating toys (i.e. V-Tech, Fisher Price, Munchkin)
- Teethers & Rattles
- Diverse dolls and action figures
- Basic card games including: UNO, Skip-Bo, Phase 10 and a regular deck of playing cards
- LEGO sets
- Little Tike & Fisher Price action figures and play sets
- Disney, Pixar and teen themed DVDs
- Basic Crayola art supplies: markers, crayons, colored pencils
- Medical play kits
- Amazon, Target, and Walmart gift cards
Guidelines for toy donations:
- All toys & in-kind donations must be new. Because of infection control and allergies, Nationwide Children’s cannot accept used toys. This includes stuffed animals that have not been played with but have been on shelves in the home.
- Nationwide Children’s cannot accept donations with weapons or violent themes such as guns, knives, swords or other projectiles. This includes styrofoam or plastic bullets.
- Because it is dangerous to those with latex allergies, the hospital cannot accept items made of latex, such as balloons, erasers and rubber bands.
- Nationwide Children’s cares for a diverse patient population, therefore, please do not include religious messages or themes.
- Out of sensitivity for patients and families, please avoid including personal information on or with donated items. For example, tribute messages, such as “In Memory of” or “In Honor of,” or business information. It is appropriate to include a website of an organization should families choose to learn more.
- Do not wrap gifts.