heartfelt gifts. Tacoma’s Toy Rescue Mission prepares to give gifts out to children and seniors in need all year starting after Easter. Though Christmas is the time when most gifts go out, the mission gives opportunities for those who need them to receive gifts on other major holidays and birthdays, too. (Photo courtesy of toy rescue mission)
In 2010, it will be 20 years since Karol Barkley started the Toy Rescue Mission, a local organization whose mission is three-fold: provide gently used toys that are refurbished to needy children and seniors who have Alzheimer’s and dementia, providing the community with volunteer opportunities for children as young as 4 up to any age, for all different kinds of groups, clubs/organizations and students needing to do community service and court mandated community service for minor offenders; as well as recycling.
Yet non-profit organizations are not exempt from the setbacks of the current economic downturn, and Tacoma’s Toy Rescue Mission is one of these organizations hit hard by the tightening of belts of former donors.
“The economy has hit us like it has everybody else. Individual donors are down because people are losing jobs or the economy has put them in a position that taps resources, and gives them less to give to the less fortunate, and charities.
“We get a lot of funding from private foundation grants, and they have been cutting funding as well,” Barkley said.
The founder affirms that she and her team are hopeful, but the odds of her organization existing through next year are bleak with their current incoming funding being as low as it is. “We are hopeful, but we don’t have any indication that we’re going to last through next year,” Barkley stated.
Though there is a stream of volunteers coming through the Toy Rescue Mission’s doors, they come and go as the mission gets busier or as their assignments come near completion. Barkley herself is the primary grant writer for the organization and recently had another woman come on to help her out.
“It takes time to write grants, and they’re usually one-time donations. They take two to four months to pay out, and that’s why we need six months funds at all times. You can’t operate a business month to month.
“We did a mass mailing recently, but it wasn’t productive. Then we did mass e-mails, put it in the newsletter and website,” Barkley affirmed.
When Barkley started the organization, she thought about kids in women’s shelters or homes, and the fact that there are other times than Christmas that they need gifts but most people generally just come out at that time.
The types of projects that Barkley and her volunteers work on range from putting together craft and toy kits, to cleaning up and repairing books, washing Legos and more. But helping put together refurbished gifts for children and needy seniors is just one of the ways individuals can help the Toy Rescue Mission.
“Firstly, if there’s any possible way you can help contribute…if you can donate $1, $5 or $10, that would help. We’ve been given a matching grant from the Lucky Seven Foundation…the organization will double that donation amount up to $5,000. It can’t come from one individual and has to be multiple donors and not a corporation,” Barkley said.
Also, for the upcoming Christmas season the Toy Rescue Mission is encouraging the donations of new rather than used toys, as the organization is running out of space to store things before distribution starts Dec. 1. The toys needed are mostly for the age group of 10-15 years.
Lastly, the Toy Rescue Mission is always in need of volunteers. For its forthcoming Christmas distribution, the days and times in which volunteers are most needed are as follows: Dec. 1, 2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; to assist giving gifts to children at agencies and on Dec. 8, 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; giving to individual families on Dec. 4 and 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., broken up into three-hour shifts; and on Dec. 12 and 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“If someone doesn’t want to give money they can give everyday items, copy paper, paper towels, Ziploc bags…not having to buy those really helps for rent,” Barkley said.
“Thanks to the community for all their past support in case we don’t survive, and to those who have contributed, volunteered or donated toys or time.”
If you would like to help volunteer, donate gently used or new toys or money or for more information on how to help the Toy Rescue Mission, call the distribution site at (253) 460-6711, e-mail toyresq@yahoo.com or visit its website at www.toyrescuemission.org.
