U.S. retail sales of toys generated over $28 billion in 2023, according to The Toy Association’s website.
Thanks to Combined Community Services’ Toy Time, one doesn’t have to break the piggy bank to provide children with toys that can provide them with hours of playtime and spur their imagination.
In an interview Wednesday morning, Coordinator Ami Pitt said for the toy sale this weekend at the Home & Family Arts Building at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, there will be more than 10,000 toys at garage sale prices, with drop-off continuing Wednesday night and Thursday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Good quality used toys can be dropped off. Volunteers price and package them and put them in this weekend’s sale. Of the items that sell, the consignor receives 50% of the sale price, with the other 50% to be used to buy new toys for the giveaway.
The public toy sale is 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The new toy giveaway is 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18.
“I’m expecting, for the giveaway next week, we’re thinking we might do between 500 to 600 families, probably (around) 1,600 kids. Of course, ABATE’s coming alongside us. Toys for Tots is coming alongside us,” she said. “The money we make from the sale purchases new toys. Any toys that don’t sell will be rehomed as Christmas gifts.”
She said the economy is really rough right now for many families, so she’s expecting the giveaway to be very busy.
“I know all the Adopt-A-Family programs, like the CCS Adopt-A-Family, we’re full. I think Salvation Army was at least getting there, if not full. Toys for Tots, I heard from (Coordinator) Chris Cage that they’re over 1,000 kids with their program. So, Toy Time is the safety net under all of the programs. When all of those programs are full, then they can still come here and receive toys for their children to take home and put under their tree. We’re the catch-all, and I like I said, we’re expecting about 600 families,” Pitt said.
This is the 31st year for the annual CCS Toy Time. Pitt’s daughter Rissa was 2 weeks old when Toy Time began, and now Rissa has four children of her own.
“The first giveaway we did 37 children. It’s grown since then. Now I have nine grandchildren that come. Even my daughter that lives in Florida and my grandboys from Florida come to do Toy Time. They’re all volunteering. I’ve had all nine of them here, working and volunteering, so I love the heart that the Lord is building in my children to this event because they want to take care of other kids and other families. They want to give first. That is a blessing,” Pitt stated.
One of the important aspects of Toy Time is the toy sale, which is Saturday and Sunday.
“Come to the sale. Sometimes there is a misunderstanding that families in need come for this sale. We need people with money to come buy these toys. That’s how we make the money to buy the new toys, and then the things that don’t sell are rehomed as Christmas gifts. So we’re recycling the toys, we’re turning them into new toys, and it all works great together. But we need people to clean out those toy boxes yet. We’re about halfway there. I expect to have about 20,000 toys for the sale by the time we’re done,” she said, reminding people to come to the sale this weekend as it’s an “awesome” sale.
Donations of Bibles also are accepted to be given out. She said they usually give out 350 to 400 Bibles.
For more information, visit ccsgives.com; call 574-269-6019 or email [email protected].