This Christmas… give THREE gifts in ONE!

1. A toy for a kid in Bellflower

2. Dignity for their parents, and

3. Support for Bellflower and earthquake victims in Haiti

How does it work?

Local churches, businesses & citizens donate brand new, unwrapped toys for kids ages 1-18. A store is set up a few weeks before Christmas and the toys are priced at 10% or less of their original cost. That means nothing will be more than $5 and most gifts will cost under $2 each. Parents pre-register through referrals from BUSD School Case Workers, local churches & organizations.

If parents cannot afford some of the presents, they are welcome to volunteer their time in exchange for store credit. Refreshments and a FREE gift-wrapping station are also provided.

Where does the money go?

Last year the proceeds of over $600 were split between the Food Pantry at Rosewood, which serves hundreds of families with food every week AND a nonprofit that provides clean water for villages in Africa.

This year the neighborhood decided that half of the proceeds will go to earthquake victims in Haiti, and the other half would again return to the Food Pantry.

Why not give the toys away for free?

There’s no doubt that times are tough for many families in Bellflower. We anticipate that this year, more than ever, families are going to struggle to give their children presents on Christmas morning. There are many ways to address this issue, but we believe the best method of helping our neighbors is creating a community Christmas store where parents can purchase gifts at a fraction of the cost. We believe this method is rewarding to both parents and children in need. Parents are blessed with the gift of giving to their children. The children are blessed with a Christmas gift actually from their parents. And the program provides a meaningful way for the more fortunate to donate childrens gifts during the Christmas season.

Will you partner with us?

We depend on partnerships with businesses in our community to make this exciting ministry possible. We need approximately 700 new, unwrapped toys to serve the 200+ families needing assistance in our community. Would you and your classmates consider partnering with us?

There are several ways you can get involved (all donations are tax deductible):

  • Will you and your classmates donate toys or gifts – for children ages 0-17? Each gift should be unwrapped and worth at least $10. Gifts should be dropped off to Kingdom Causes’ office (16429 Bellflower Blvd.) or Rosewood Church office by Thursday, December 8th. See suggestion list below.
  • Will you or your classmates be a financial sponsor for the event? Monetary donations are used to buy last minute gifts as we see gaps in the inventory.
  • Will you come and work at the event on Tuesday, December 13th from 11:30am-2:30pm or 5:30-6:30pm?
  • Do you know people within the community who will benefit from this event? If so, please contact us at 562-804-2189.

Click here to watch a video about the Christmas Store Model.

 

Christmas Toy Store Donation Suggestions

Please remember that each parent will be allowed to buy one gift per child.

Please donate things that you think a parent might buy as their child’s only gift.

Gift suggestions Total needed Target group
MP3 players 50 Teens
Hair straighteners 30 Teen girls
Make-up kits 10-20 Teen girls
Girl’s sweaters/sweatshirts 10-15 Teen girls
Girl’s pajamas and/or bath robes 5-10 each Teen girls
Purses 5 Teen girls
Anything teen girls are “into”   Teen girls
Basketballs 5-10 Teens
Skateboards 15-20 Teens
Razors 15-20 Teens
Soccer balls (full size) 10 Teens
Footballs 5 Teens
Tennis Rackets 3-5 Teens
Boombox 10 Teens
Alarm Clocks 5 Teens
Boy’s sweatshirts 5 Teen boys
Anything teen boys are “into”   Teen boys
Bicycle Helmets 5-10 anyone
Dolls of a variety of kinds 40 Girls
Arts and Crafts sets 10-20 Girls
Anything that 3-12 year old girls are “into” 100+ Girls
Cars and Truck of a variety of kinds 40 Boys
Nerf guns 5-10 Boys
Anything that 3-12 year old boys are “into” 100+ Boys
Baby toys (variety) 40 Babies
     
Teen Specific Gift cards are great. Examples:   Other items we need:
$10 Forever 21   Wrapping Paper
$10 Claires   Tape
$10 Big 5 Sporting Goods   Bows
$10 Game Stop   Gift bags
Movie Passes   Tissue Paper
     
Things that do not sell well:    
Stuffed Animals    
Candyland    
Chutes and Ladders    
Too many board games    
Books    

 

Financial donations are needed as well.  We have a team of shoppers who bargain hunt for these items for months ahead of time.  Financial donations can be made out to Rosewood Church and sent to 10115 Rose St., Bellflower, CA  90706.  All donations are 100% tax deductable.  A tax receipt will be sent to you in the mail.  Please direct questions to Denise Tamminga @ (562) 804-4778.