Call goes out for more donations for needy Princeton children.
By: Jennifer Potash
The Princeton Human Services Department’s annual toy drive list of needy children has unexpectedly increased and officials issued a plea Monday for more contributions.
When the department closed its registration last week, about 250 children were signed up, said Cynthia Mendez, director.
She said she expected an increase but not to such a large degree. Last year the toy drive served 165 children, she said.
"We are desperate," Ms. Mendez said, asking the public to help out and contribute a toy or item of clothing for a child in the program.
Nationally, the economy may be recovering but the benefits from the upswing have not reached lower-income families, Ms. Mendez said.
"A lot of people are being laid off or the jobs are just disappearing," she said. "The cost of living has gone up so people have less to spend on Christmas."
The department compiled wish lists from the children and many participants requested bare necessities such as winter clothing, Ms. Mendez said. Clothing requests usually accounted for 5 or 10 percent of wish lists, Ms. Mendez said. This year clothing represents about 30 percent of the requests, she said.
Anyone interested in donating a new toy or new item of clothing to the toy drive should contact the Human Services Department at (609) 688-2055. Some donors choose to "adopt" a child and purchase items from the list, Ms. Mendez said.
Donations may be dropped off at the Human Services Department, 380 Witherspoon St., lower level.