Princeton Human Services Department toy drive a success.
By: Jennifer Potash
In the weeks following the December holidays, mailboxes may be stuffed with thank-you notes from grateful gift recipients. But the Princeton Human Services Department could not find a note big enough for all the donors to its annual toy drive, which brightens the holiday for financially needy children in Princeton Borough and Princeton Township.
More than 40 individual donors and seven groups provided nearly 500 gifts and toys for the 164 children included in the program, said Alta Rex, assistant Human Services director. Each child received three gifts, she said.
"The personal touch really made a difference," she said. "Just saying thank-you doesn’t seem to be enough."
One woman, who participates every year, selected 25 children at random from the program and bought items from each child’s wish list, Ms. Rex said.
Some of the donors were new to the program this year, she said.
"We received calls from people who read about the toy drive in the paper and wanted to give," Ms. Rex said.
Marge Smith, chairwoman of the Human Services Commission, said community response was wonderful.
"It made the holidays a special occasion for a lot of kids and their families," she said.
Area businesses and educational institutions, such as the Nassau Inn, Braun Research, and Princeton University’s Pace Center for Community Service, molecular biology department and the Office for Community and State Affairs, contributed scores of gifts, she said. McCaffrey’s supermarket donated wrapping paper for the myriad toys wrapped by Human Services staff, Ms. Rex said.
The Human Services Department, located in the Princeton Township municipal complex, addresses issues dealing with senior citizens, youth, welfare and civil rights for both Princeton Township and Princeton Borough.

