TIF donates $30k in toys to K.I.D.S. for Haitian children

By -- Gifts and Dec, April 30, 2010

NEW YORK—Thanks to a generous contribution of 2,500 of new toys from the Toy Industry Foundation, children’s product donated by companies across the toy industry will be distributed in partnership with Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. to children who survived the devastating Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010. The toys, valued at nearly $30,000, will provide some much-needed comfort for children in refugee shelters and camps, as well as schools and orphanages in both Port Au Prince and smaller towns throughout the country.

“One of the most disturbing aspects of a natural disaster of this scale is the terror and uncertainty that it leaves behind in the surviving children,” said TIF Executive Director Jean Butler. “It can rob them of the simpler pleasures of childhood and make laughter and joy a distant memory. Even a brief respite of play can provide some hope that life will be better in the future.”

K.I.D.S. has worked in Haiti through various partners since 1995, maintaining a constant presence in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and the Central Plateau region, providing apparel, shoes, toys and books to vulnerable children. K.I.D.S.’ main partner for this Haiti relief effort is Operation Compassion, which has coordinated a program helping Haiti’s poor for the last 10 years.

“With much of the immediate life and death emergency response done, these toys will be sent to Haiti in the next few weeks to try to help normalize the day-to-day lives of children as the rebuilding process begins,” said K.I.D.S. President Janice Weinman. “The toys and our many other donations are being securely and efficiently distributed through 18 key partner agencies on the ground in Haiti that know the country well from years of experience.”

The partner agencies are using their knowledge of the communities to reach people through relief and refugee camps; institutions, including schools, medical clinics, hospitals, feeding pantries and orphanages; and warehouse partners which get the toys and other donations out to hundreds of grassroots agencies in Port Au Prince, as well as the surrounding areas where most of the population is now heading.

The Toy Industry Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring joy, comfort, and learning to children in need through toys and play. While other organizations provide food, shelter and support services to children and their families, TIF sees to it that these children have toys and opportunities to play in an attempt to restore both fun and a sense of normalcy to their lives. The Foundation currently fulfills its mission through core programs including The Toy Bank, public education initiatives, and grants to organizations whose missions are in line with that of the Toy Industry Foundation.

K.I.D.S. brings hope and self-esteem to more than 4.5 million children and their families each year by providing new clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and juvenile products donated by manufacturers and retailers. The donations are distributed through a network of nearly 1,000 local community social service agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Our efforts reach children who are challenged by poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, low literacy, military family service, major illness, incarcerated family members and disaster survival. More information about donating new products and supporting our work is available online at http://www.KIDSdonations.org.

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