On Thursday, 12/16  and Friday, 12/17  the Karsh Center proudly welcomed in the families/parents of more than 450 children for our Annual Holiday Toy Distribution, inviting parents and caregivers into our winter wonderland to “shop” for an age appropriate toy and help wrap up this challenging year with some joy, excitement, and a sense of normalcy this holiday season. 

For the past month, we have been asking our community to purchase kid’s toys for the holidays. The Karsh donor community stepped up in a big way, dropping off hundreds of gifts for children of all ages including legos, skateboards, tea party sets, stuffed animals, board games and gift cards. 

Thanks to Brawerman East Elementary parents, who spent hours transforming our Leanse Ratner Family Food Pantry into a winter wonderland, complete with 4-foot tall snowmen welcoming each guest at the door! Festivities began on Thursday afternoon, when we welcomed families to pick up holiday bags from Baby2Baby as part of their Family2Family distribution program, which served 77 children at the Karsh Center. The excitement continued on Friday, when families came throughout the day to choose holiday gifts for their children (or let the very excited youngest members of the family pick out their own gift), take family photos at our winter photo booth, and have their gifts wrapped on-site by Karsh Center volunteers. 

“I got legos!” one little boy eagerly told our Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, Noah, as he walked out of the Food Pantry to the photobooth station. With music playing and the toys getting constantly refilled, the excitement and fun for kids was palpable. “There are so many presents!” another one of our youngest community members exclaimed as he arrived.

Through this program, we were able to give toys to 463 children at the Karsh Center, in addition to helping provide toys to children through our Collaborator  organizations including The People Concern, West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, Anderson-Munger YMCA and IDEPSCA. 

This very special holiday program was possible thanks to the generous support and toys provided by Wilshire Boulevard Temple, specifically Brawerman Elementary School, Wilshire Boulevard Temple Religious School and WBT ECC, as well as the Baby2Baby Foundation and their Family2Family program, Jazwares, KelleyToy, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the many individual donors and their families who have sent or dropped off toys.

Our Program staff made this feat possible, registering clients via phone and email for the past month and tracking data to understand how we can best host this program in future years. We had amazing help the day of from a variety of volunteers, who helped to spread the holiday cheer and ensure the best gift-getting experience for our clients. 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you and your family!