2013 Holiday Toy Drive for Foster Kids

Collecting toys for the Sleep Train Toy Drive for Foster Kids has become a tradition in my house. It used to only be my girlfriend and I, but last year everyone who came to our holiday party also brought a gift to donate to local foster homes. We had Nerf footballs, chemistry sets, dolls, legos, a telescope, and even a pair of electric guitars. It was awesome. With your help, I want to make this year even more awesome.

How Can You Help?

1) The best way you can help is by donating toys directly to the toy drive. There are multiple Sleep Trains drop-off locations throughout San Francisco.

2) You can also order toys from this Amazon Wishlist and send them directly to: Sleep Train Mattress Center, CO: Secret Santa Toy Drive, 1600 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94109

3) Alternatively, you can do all of your usual holiday shopping on Amazon after clicking this link.

How Does Shopping on Amazon Help Foster Kids?

Amazon provides a commission for bringing sales to their site. The above link has been tagged as belonging to me. Every purchase you make will contribute up to 6% of your total checkout price to the Tangents & Distractions bucket. This 6% isn’t tacked on to your total, it comes out of Amazon’s profit, and it counts for every purchase, not just toys. I’ll use this money to buy even more toys for the kiddos!

The toy drive ends on December 15th, so make sure you finish shopping by the 10th. I need a few days for shipping Toys that come in after the 10th will be donated to the equally awesome SF Firefighters Toy Program.

That’s it! Just click the link above and enjoy your holiday shopping. You’re making a difference.

I’ll post a screenshot of the total amount earned, as well as pics of all the toys.

Share With Friends

If you do all of your shopping offline, you can help by passing this link along to friends, forward the T&D November newsletter, or share on Twitter and Facebook. The more we spread the word, the more toys we can get!

Why Foster Kids?

Over 60,000 California children find themselves living in foster care at any given time, many of which have entered with little to no possessions. While foster parents are paid a monthly stipend to help support the costs of raising a child, that stipend would need to increase by an average of 46% to meet all of the needs of a growing child.

Sleep Train’s collection drives help foster organization and parents immediately provide essential items that all children need. When foster children receive these new clothes, shoes, pajamas and school supplies, it creates a positive experience in what can be a challenging or scary time. (From the Sleep Train website)

Click This Link to Make a Difference This Holiday!

The toys are starting to roll in!

More toys! A chemistry set, watercolors, and LEGOS!

Also, here’s our affiliate earning so far: $6.33

It might not look like much yet, but that’s already a Mr Potato Head! Keep using this link every time you shop on Amazon.

Awesome sports gear!

We also broke $20 in Amazon affiliate commissions. Free money!

Final toy pics! Look at this pile!

Final pic of the tree before we hauled it all off to Sleep Train!

About the Author Dan Walsh I enjoy sharing thought-provoking articles, videos, and tools.