need help with toy donations

[Kevin Gregoire]

im hoping some of you can help me please?

i have some scrollsaw patterns for some toys i would like to build to donate to
toys for tots or places like that but do they take wood toys or do these places
just want the plastic fantastic that is manufactured these days??

i tried looking up a toys for tots place in a nearby city but they just give a guys
name, no phone, no address, no email, nothing!

has anyone here made wooden toys and donated to a worthy cause?

hope you can help?
thanks

[Howard Acheson]

Here is something you should read first. A number of places I used to donate toys to will not accept them any more.

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/CPSIA/smbus/manufacturers.html

[Bruce Wrenn]

No paint of finishes of any kind, is the current rule. Our WW Assoc makes Toys for Tots toys. We have made over FIFTY THOUSAND toys, with our little 2 X 4 Volks cars being the most popular. This year, I cut out about 1400 of them, which will be assembled in workshops by others. Contact the local Marine Reserve Center. Due to deployments, the person in charge changes constantly.

[rick carpenter]

The quick answer is yes, there are places that will take them. There is a Santa's Helpers program at a church in our town that works with the local mission to give new and used toys to kids who might not get anything for Christmas. I suggest you check with a local mission, radio stations, churches, Lions/Kiwanis/Rotary clubs, Sheriff's Office, etc in your town and ask them if they run any program like that or know of one with which they are affiliated.

It's more than likely too late for this year, but you could initiate a program like that through an appropriate organization for next year. I helped run our town's program for six years so if you need advice starting one up, just email me at nohurricane<at>gmail<dot>com.

As far as finishes go, if you'll email me, I'll pass any questions you might have to a wooden-toymaker friend of mine who knows the latest regarding federal regulations.

Rick

[Matt Meiser]

Our club made toys for Toys for Tots every year until this year. Last year we only managed to get 1 of 3 finish manufacturers to give us the necessary information on their products. One had disclosures available online. One said "no." One didn't bother to respond. This year we would have needed to get that information on every non-wood item we used--glues, hardware, etc. from what we read. Too much work.

Instead we did two charity furniture projects which we are finishing up tomorrow and delivering in the next couple weeks.