Toy Drive

Awareness & Understanding

Every December, thousands of kids in Salt Lake County wake up to little or nothing on the holidays because their families can't afford gifts. Toy drives fill that gap — but only if someone organizes them. Start by learning who does this work locally: explore the Salvation Army Angel Tree program (salvationarmyutah.org), Toys for Tots Utah (toysfortots.org), and the Community Action Program in SLC. Watch a short "Day in the Life" video from any toy drive volunteer on YouTube. Write down three facts about holiday giving gaps in Utah that surprised you. You're ready for the next step when you can explain what a toy drive does, name two organizations running them in Salt Lake County, and describe who benefits.

Research & Investigation

Research what makes a toy drive succeed or flop. The two biggest factors are location (a high-traffic drop-off spot) and promotion (people have to know about it). Look up how Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army market their campaigns — check their social media pages and look for news coverage in the Salt Lake Tribune. Then scout two to three possible drop-off locations: your school office, a local library branch (Salt Lake City Public Library has locations all over the valley), a church, or a neighborhood business. Call or visit and ask if they'd host a donation box. You're ready for the next step when you have at least one confirmed drop-off location and a list of three ways you plan to tell people about your drive.

Planning & Preparation

Set up your drive. You need three things: a collection box, a flyer, and a deadline. Make a collection box from a cardboard box — decorate it clearly so people know what it is and where donations go. Design a flyer using free Canva at canva.com: include the drop-off location, the deadline, what types of toys are needed (new, unwrapped, age 0–12), and the organization receiving the toys. Print at least ten flyers and post them with permission. Set a firm end date — two weeks works well for a three-week quest. You're ready for the next step when your box is placed, your flyers are posted, and you have texted or told at least five people about the drive.

Taking Action

Your drive is live — now promote it every single day until the deadline. Post daily updates on social media showing donations arriving (even one toy is worth posting). Send reminder texts or messages to people who said they'd donate. Ask the school office to make an announcement, or ask a local business to mention it to customers. If donations are slow, troubleshoot: Is your flyer visible? Are you asking people directly? A personal ask — "Hey, I'm running a toy drive, can you bring one toy by Friday?" — works ten times better than a flyer alone. You're ready for the next step when your deadline has passed and you have collected, counted, and photographed all the donations.

Leadership & Expansion

Deliver your donations to the receiving organization and document the handoff — take a photo or video. Then recruit at least two friends to run their own mini-drives alongside yours next year. Write a one-page "How to Run a Toy Drive" guide based on what you actually did: what worked, what you'd skip, and what you'd do earlier. Share your guide with your school or a local youth group. Post your final donation count publicly — even a small number represents real kids receiving gifts. You're ready for the next step when you have delivered the donations, shared your results with an audience, and recruited at least one other person to run their own drive in the future.

Impact & Reflection

Write a one-page reflection on your toy drive. Answer: How many toys did you collect? What was the single most effective thing you did to get donations? What would you do first if you ran this again? What did it feel like to hand off the donations? Then calculate your local impact: if each toy goes to one child, how many kids did your drive reach? Share your reflection and your final count with your SLCTrips mentor. You're ready for the next step when you can describe your drive's impact in a specific number and explain what you personally did to make that happen.