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Every year before Christmas, my children and I take a very special shopping trip where I ask them to pick out their favorite toys to gift to families we don’t know. The very first time we did this, my children were curious and a bit puzzled that we were shopping for someone we likely won’t meet. But I explained to them as simply as I could, that there are families who don’t have the resources to purchase gifts. This saddened their hearts and their attitudes about not getting anything during our special shopping trip quickly turned to excitement about helping someone in need.
Traditionally, we’ve donated those toys to Toys for Tots. This year, Walmart has partnered with the Salvation Army to host Fill the Truck events to provide toys and coats to children in need so we decided to simply shop for the toys at our local store, then donate them on-the-spot. At present, there are approximately 3500 Walmart stores participating. Just look for the toy-filled cardboard “truck” located at the front of your local store.
For the past 40 years, Walmart has partnered with the Salvation Army and already this year, the Walmart Foundation has donated $1 million dollars to the Red Kettle Campaign which will go towards nationwide feeding programs. While I’m always a bit hesitant about giving to those who stand outside stores asking for money, you can feel comfortable that Walmart and Sam’s Club fully support the red kettles and bell ringers you’ll likely see outside of your local store this season.
With $100 to spend, thanks to Walmart, we headed to the toy department of our local store to shop. I divided the money up between our kids and I simply asked them to pick out toys they would want for themselves. We first headed to the “Chosen By Kids” section which features 20 of the season’s top toys, all approved by kids. Then my children began picking out their favorites…dolls…Disney…toys for building and pretend play…
Here is a list of items we purchased (I’m surprise at how far our $100 went!):
My Very Own Tool Bench – $19.97
Jake and the Neverland Pirates – Jake’s Musical Pirate Ship Bucky – $39.97
My Sweet Love Baby Doll $19.97
Disney Princess My First Baby Cinderella Doll $10.97
Appgear Alien Jail Break (of course my son picked this out!) $9.96
Once we purchased all of the toys, we headed over to the “truck” to fill it with the gifts we purchased. Now that my kids are a bit older, they had questions about who the kids were and whether or not they were going to meet them. I simply explained to them that while we probably won’t ever have an opportunity to meet these families, that I expect they will be very thankful this holiday season, knowing that they can provide their children with gifts this Christmas.
You can donate toys through Walmart’s Fill the Truck event through December 15th. How do you teach your children to give back this season?
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