Last year, our annual Christmas outreach became His Toy Store Reimagined, a holiday fund that provided grants for essential needs (e.g. food, groceries, hygiene items) and toys! As a result of the reimagining, more affiliates were able to participate and serve muplore New Yorkers, both families and individuals in need.
This year, 470 generous donors and more than 600 incredible volunteers made His Toy Store a life-changing experience for families in need!
It was Christmas time, and my classmates and I sat in a circle on the carpet of our kindergarten classroom. That day, we had been asked to bring in a Christmas treat for everyone. We took turns distributing our gifts to each other, dutifully dropping our offering into the personalized bags that sat before each student. When it was my turn, there was a moment when I doubted whether there were enough gifts in everyone’s bag for me. But I quickly dismissed the thought and made my way around the circle, beginning with my own bag.
In 1995, Hope for New York created and launched its annual Christmas outreach “His Toy Store” to provide toys and gifts for families in need across New York City. In recent years, HFNY has worked with affiliates and church partners who provide space to host pop-up stores from Brooklyn to the Bronx. Each pop-up store is “owned” by a HFNY partner church, and is planned by a volunteer committee from that church.