Every year the ILS department hosts a Food and Toy drive. We start accepting donations November 1st and continue to accept them until one week before Christmas.
Food
The food is distributed among the people STEP supports in the SLS, ILS and Parenting groups. The parents we serve come in and help wrap all the gifts and organize all the donations. The toys are then given to the children of the families receiving Parenting services at STEP. Because we feel it is also important to teach the children the gift of giving, some of the toys that are donated are then given to other agencies such as, maternity homes, crisis nurseries, or Boys and Girls Club, and it is our kids who help us make those donations.
If you wish to donate, we accept non-perishable food items or gift cards to local grocery stores. Some ideas of foods we appreciate:
- Pasta
- Canned tuna
- Rice
- Hamburger Helper type boxed meals
- Hearty soups
- Cereal
- Canned fruits and vegetables
Please note that food is welcomed! Those are just some favorites.
Toys
We appreciate the donation of all toys. We have a very varied age group, from infants to teenagers, both boys and girls. So a variety of toys for different ages is always welcomed. However, please no stuffed animals. Most of the nurseries and other places we make donations to will not accept the stuffed animals.