The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and its Toy Bank distributed more than 500,000 new toys and games to children in need in all 50 states on a single day on August 1. Dubbed Toys Across America, this special day of toys, play, and fun celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Toy Bank, a program that collects new toys from donor toy companies and delivers them through a network of charities serving kids and families.
An interactive map on the Toys Across America website—along with photos, videos, and live updates on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—showed the progress as toys were distributed in each state and Washington, D.C. The webpage included details about the charities served (name, city, and state), participating toy companies, and special festive events in Braddock, Penn., Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City.
In the last decade, The Toy Bank has delivered more than 10 million toys valued at more than $85 million to children who are sick, impoverished, in the foster care system, living through natural disasters, enduring life on a military base, or otherwise in need.
The Toy Bank is the signature program of TIF, the philanthropic organization representing the North American toy industry. Throughout the year, toy companies and retailers donate new toys to the program. The Toy Bank’s logistics partner, Kids in Distressed Situations, then distributes the toys through its nationwide network of child-focused charities. Three dozen toy donor companies joined with sponsors Funrise and Bandai America Inc. to make Toys Across America possible.
