Many parents are looking for a way to teach their kids about giving and help those kids who may not be as lucky as our own.
While there are plenty of Wishing Trees that take money donations and new toys, there aren’t many options to donate preloved toys that are probably not being played with anymore.
Until now. Australia’s largest eco store Flora & Fauna has launched an amazing incentive that we had to share with you.
From today – 7 December 2021, Australians will be invited to donate any pre-loved or unwanted toys to Flora & Fauna.
Each toy will be professionally upcycled by The Peninsula Senior Citizens Toy Repair Group Inc and donated to grassroots charity We Care Connect to continue to support disadvantaged children.
How to donate a toyÂ
If you’ve got a few preloved toys sitting around the house, now’s the time to gather the kids and suggest they donate some of their old toys to those who would love to play with them.
Give each child a bucket or laundry basket and ask them to go through their items.
You can either drop off your pre-loved item at the Flora & Fauna Toy Recycling Unit in their North Rocks, NSW warehouse or post it to them.
The address is:
Flora & Fauna Toy Recycling Unit 4/25 Loyalty Rd, North Rocks NSW 2151.
Be sure to also write a small letter (or get the kids to) explaining what the toy is and a little about its journey so far.
What happens then?Â
Your toy will then be restored by Peninsula Seniors Toy Recyclers with eco products from Flora & Fauna, to give it a new lease on life.
Once restored, your toy will be donated as a Christmas gift to a child in need through We Care Connect.Â
Some of the toys will also be made available to purchase through the Flora & Fauna website with 100% of the funds raised from rehoming the upcycled toys going to We Care Connect.
Any toys that can’t be restored will be recycled.
Toys you can donate
Before sending, make sure your pre-loved toys tick the boxes below:
- The toy is not broken, ripped, damaged, soiled or beyond repair. The toy needs to be in good condition.
- The toy does not include any broken glass, sharp edges or splinters.
- That you clean the toy with disinfectant solution before posting.
- You have removed any batteries from the toy before posting.
- The toy is no bigger than 50cm and weighs less than 1kg.
According to Flora & Fauna, 1.6 million Australians are not financially equipped to provide their child with any Christmas gift. The goal is to bring Christmas to everyone and this is such a great way to do so. However, you’ll need to get on it this week as the postal date closes on Friday, 10 December!Â
All toy givers that meet the criteria will also receive a $10 Flora & Fauna gift card for their donations. For more details, see the Flora & Fauna website.
More charities to consider
If you do miss the deadline, we have found a few other charities worth giving to:
- The Salvation Army –  The Salvos catalogue is full of gift ideas. Once you purchase an item, the charity will give your gift to someone in need.
- USPS Operation Santa – Make a little boy or girl’s Christmas wish come true by adopting a letter and fulfilling their wish.
- Windermere – Make a donation to help those who, through no fault of their own, struggle during the festive season.
- Barnados Australia – You can donate online, or drop a physical gift to Barnardos. Just call them to arrange drop off.
- Gifts For Good – Gifts For Good allows you to go to one site, do your normal shopping, and a portion of what you spend will be donated to charity with no extra cost to you.
- Oxfam – Instead of buying a gift for someone, give them the gift of giving to someone else. Pick a card to give to the person of your choice letting them know what you’ve purchased on their behalf.
- Kmart Wishing Tree –  Visit a Kmart store, purchase a gift suitable to a child or teen, and place it back under the tree. If you can’t make it into the store, you can also make donations online.
Also check out Big W’s Toys for Joy, which is now running in select stores across the country.
