Toyland Days Ease Financial Burden for Metro-area Families at Christmas
Hundreds of parents, grandparents and guardians had the opportunity to choose gifts for their children during The Salvation Army’s annual Toyland Days, held Dec. 17 and 18 at the Kroc Center, Citadel Corps and North Corps.
“It’s been rough, but this really helps us,” said Elvira, who was shopping for her two youngest boys and four grandchildren – ages newborn to 11 – at Citadel Corps last Friday.
Elvira is employed as a school bus driver but was out of work for several months when Omaha Public Schools transitioned to remote learning in 2020. As a result, she is still struggling to catch up financially.
“I feel better knowing that because they’ll have gifts, the kids won’t notice the hardship,” she said. “They are so excited and counting down the days till Christmas.”
In the weeks leading up to Toyland Days, donors dropped off new, unwrapped gifts at Jensen Tire locations around the metro. Angel Tree gift tags were also available at local Walmart stores, so shoppers could purchase toys and leave them in the donation boxes before exiting the store.
Toyland Tuesday, sponsored by KMTV 3 on Dec. 7, also gave local businesses and organizations the opportunity to drop off the boxes of toys that had been donated at their locations to The Salvation Army so that volunteers could get started on sorting. All toys and gifts donated through Angel Tree and Toyland Tuesday are distributed locally to families in need.
“Most of the people we serve live paycheck to paycheck, and many, many in the Omaha metro are still experiencing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic and the recent inflation,” said Maj. Adam Moore, city coordinator for The Salvation Army of Omaha. “We are very grateful to be able to help families in need have a very merry Christmas.”
There’s still time to make a donation that will help families in need in the Omaha metro at Christmas and all year long. Thank you for your support!