HOST A DONATION DRIVE – EARN SERVICE HOURS

Thank you for your interest in hosting a Donation Drive for children in foster care. There are over 3,400 children in foster care in Hillsborough County. Your efforts will help kids in our community.

How do I organize a Donation Drive?

It’s really up to you! We have provided a general list of items to collect. You can focus on one, a few, or all of these items. For example, you could do a pajama drive and just collect pajamas in various sizes. Or, you could focus on hygiene items or just the “fun” stuff like fidget toys, Play-doh, and kinetic sand. You may also collect everything on the list.

You can create an Amazon Wish List for your project and share the link with friends and family. Please have Amazon Wish List donations delivered to you, do not send them to WFFCS as we will not be able to keep track of them for you. 

You can also create flyers and graphics for social media and ask friends and family to shop your Amazon Wish List or at a store of choice for the items you are collecting.

You may want to set a goal of a certain number of items and update your followers with your total as you receive items.  

Please create an inventory sheet of items collected to submit to us when your project is finished.

ITEMS NEEDED (New items only, please.)

• • • Kids’ pajamas
    • Kids’ shampoo & body wash
    • Kids’ toothbrushes & toothpaste
    • Fidget toys
    • Play-doh & Kinetic sand
    • Baby/toddler safety items
    • Baby formula & bottles
    • Snacks
      
      All items collected must be brand new.  We will not give credit for any used or damaged items we receive.

How many service hours will I earn?

That depends on how much time and effort you put into your donation drive. We consider the time it takes to create an Amazon Wish List, flyers and/or graphics, hanging flyers and/or posting on social media, opening packages and organizing items, getting the items delivered to us, etc. 

We estimate it takes about 2-3 total hours to collect 50 items, 4-5 hours to collect 100 items, and 6-8 hours to collect 200 or more items. 

Please keep a list of tasks completed and time spent so we can accurately give you credit for your time.

How do I get the items to you?

We have foster closets located in South Tampa, Riverview, and Temple Terrace. We also partner with some other local churches and small businesses that may be able to serve as a drop-off location. Getting the items to us is part of your project responsibility so please speak with Janet Rinaldi – jrinaldi@wffcs.org – to determine a drop-off location before you begin your project. 

Why do children in foster care need donations?

Despite what many people think, the money foster parents receive from the state is not nearly enough to cover everything they need to provide for children in their care. Children often enter foster care with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and our foster closets serve as a one-stop-shop for clothing, personal hygiene items, toys, baby gear, feeding supplies, and other necessities – at no charge to the foster parents. Our foster closets serve over 400 foster families per month, so your donations are much needed and appreciated.

Why do you only accept new items?

Many children in foster care have never received new items to call their very own. Receiving brand new items instills a sense of dignity and tells children that they matter. We also request new items only to guarantee they are in excellent condition without wear or damage.