The holidays will be a little brighter this year for thousands of children and families in south Lake County thanks to a massive toy donation drive kicking off this week.
Charity Across South Lake, a local umbrella organization, has agreements with 20 nonprofit, civic and service groups, along with schools and police departments in Clermont, Minneola, Montverde, Groveland and Mascotte, to work together to produce a single, large-scale holiday drive rather than host individual events. The collaborative initiative began in 2020 when the pandemic made serving families during the holidays more important than ever.
“COVID-19 created a new level of need in our community and it’s still impacting many families here, especially those in disadvantaged neighborhoods,” said local community leader Kalena Meyers, who founded Charity Across South Lake last year.
Program Manager, Renee Lowe states, “We’ve learned that by working together, we can help many more people who might otherwise not have much for the holidays. It’s a good time to be grateful for what we have and to make sure others have something to be grateful for as well.”
Charity Across South Lake is accepting applications for holiday assistance from families now through December 1st at AcrossSouthLake.org. Families who need assistance are encouraged to register online as soon as possible.
There are several ways generous “elves” may get involved:
- Become a sponsor – sponsorship levels, which range from $250 to $5,000, fit every business budget
- Donate a toy – nearly 100 businesses are serving as toy drop-off locations for new, unwrapped toys
- Become a Toy Box Collection Location or Angel Tree Location – the business community is invited to participate as a toy drop-off collection location or Angel Tree Location
- Donate a Winn Dixie grocery gift card – Purchase a Winn Dixie gift card to help support feeding families in need
- Give a cash contribution – a secure, online form makes it easy for individuals and businesses to make a tax-deductible donation
- Volunteer to help – there are so many opportunities to engage, including organizing the warehouse (also known as Santa’s workshop); wrapping toys; assembling bikes; packaging meal boxes; and meeting families for deliveries
The group has made an Amazon wish list available on their website making it easy for donors to order toys right off the list from the comfort of their home. The toys are then delivered to a secure location, sorted by volunteers, packaged, and will be delivered to future distribution events.
To learn more, make a donation, secure a sponsorship, become a toy drop-off location, and volunteer to help, visit AcrossSouthLake.org.
