A charity that collects and distributes toys to needy children in Charlottesville, Virginia, at Christmastime got a huge surprise recently.
Although the Toy Lift charity’s final night of drive thru and drop off at Fashion Square Mall took place on Friday, toys were not the last thing the organization received, according to CBS 19.
“An anonymous group pledged that if Toy Lift raised $15,000 this past week, the group would match it,” the report said.
The charity reached its goal on Friday which resulted in $30,000 going toward extra toys for children in need.
“This comes after S&P Global donated more than $20,000 to Toy Lift this year, topping its donation from last year,” the CBS article read.
Local schools help identify children in need and have them fill out wish lists. Thanks to the community’s generosity, Toy Lift makes those Christmas wishes come true.
On Friday, the charity shared a photo of helpers loading a school bus with items for the kids:
“It’s not Christmas in Charlottesville until the Toy Lift happens. It doesn’t matter if you have Thanksgiving Day parades, whatever, until the Toy Lift happens it’s not Christmas,” said charity founder Tom Powell.
Toy Lift Vice President Cindy Payne coordinates with the schools to be sure each child receives the toy they wanted most.
“One of the things that’s very important for us is, we want to make sure the kid not only gets something for Christmas, but that they get something that they’d actually be excited about for Christmas. You know, you don’t want to give a tomboy a baby doll,” she explained.
Powell said the charity takes care of everyone who needs help, adding, “We don’t want any child falling through the cracks.”
According to its website, Toy Lift’s mission is to “support local families through volunteerism, community cooperation, morale building, and educational tools.”