New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Supply chains, COVID don’t stop annual Shelton toy drive
SHELTON — To guarantee a happy holiday for area children, one local organization has kicked off its annual toy collection drive earlier than normal.
TEAM, Inc.’s Toys4Kids, which houses its holiday store at the Echo Hose Ambulance Training Center’s Coram Avenue facility, is already underway. Last year’s drive distributed holiday gifts to more than 1,650 families in the Valley, a 34 percent increase from the previous year.
TEAM Inc. President David Morgan pinpointed the global supply chain crisis across so many industries caused by COVID-19, and the impacts to the economy, labor market, production, transit, including ports, as reasons to start early in 2021.
“We knew we had to get an even earlier start to be positioned in helping too many children and families that need this help the most,” Morgan said about stocking the
Toys4Kids holiday store, which has provided gifts to area families for more than two decades.
“The rippling effects of COVID-19 on the economy, the labor market, and above all the supply chain uncertainties has driven TEAM to launch its campaign earlier than ever before,” Morgan added. “Together we must conquer any and all obstacles brought upon by COVID-19, and with everyone’s help we will make magic happen this December.”
Morgan said the increase in toy distributions last year was a result of the pandemic’s impact driving up the need.
“Too many people out of work, swimming through a struggling Connecticut economy burdened by COVID-19 impacts, and trying to juggle so many basic needs and quality of life commitments layered upon the stress of holiday giving for their children,” Morgan said.
Last year, TEAM created an online Toys4Kids application for families that Morgan said was easy to complete so no one had to come into TEAM offices.
TEAM staff then contacted the families via phone and email for verification purposes, and to gather individualized information about what their kids needed and wanted for the holidays.
“Because of our purchasing power with toy distributors, we can then make orders much earlier and have them shipped to TEAM — where we then individualize the toys into a large bag and then arrange families to drive up for their bag all ready to go with their name on it,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the goal of this toy distribution is ensure children and families “experience the love, joy, and happiness” amidst the economic and other challenges they continue to face.
“From an empty bank account and having to choose between food for
your family, paying the rent, diapers, heating your home,” he said. “When choosing between those things and giving gifts for your children — it can be a very difficult time for parents which in turn can make it very difficult for children.”
For struggling families, the holidays can be a time of stress and feelings of personal inadequacy as parents can have a real impact on everyone around them, including their children, he said.
“There’s also the stigma and anxiety among the kids less fortunate in school, childcare and in social situations — in other words, the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ and how benevolent the holiday season was for some kids but not for others,” Morgan said. “These memories for children can echo a limitless number of times and experiences ahead for any child and have an immeasurable emotional and social impact.”
Children are only young once, Morgan said.
“We can’t turn the clock back and do it over,” Morgan added, “We get one shot at making magic happen for so many kids across all ages.”
The organization will host a live social media feed of the event’s launch.