Helping to Fill the Truck Toy Drive

At WellConnectedMom, we love to participate in opportunities to give back to others during the Christmas Holidays.  For a couple of years we participated in the RAZ, Random Acts of Kindness Drive.   This year, as a Walmart Mom website, we are participating in the Fill the Truck toy drive at Walmart and wanted to give you the details so you can participate too.  The Fill the Truck campaign will take place in 1,600 Walmart stores across the country.  There will also be collection bins inside 3,500 stores, for customers to drop off unwrapped toys up until to December 15th.

The Salvation Army is working with Walmart to provide gifts to an anticipated 10,000 children this year.  They are encouraging Walmart shoppers to provide new toys and coats to children in need, to receive on Christmas.

This week, I took my kids with me to Walmart buy some toys help kids in need this Christmas.  We purchased some tech toys (of course!) and some non-tech toys to put in our local Walmart’s Fill the Truck event.  Our kids had a blast picking out items to give to the Fill the Truck event.  You know the saying, always choose something for somebody that you’d like yourself.  Well, they did!  And no, we didn’t buy them a matching gift.  The focus of the day was giving to others.

I love to involve my kids in opportunities to give to others.  It’s a great way to help our kids understand that there are kids out there a lot less fortunate than them.  Even just donating toys to a store bin, it shows your kids generosity and thinking of others at a time that most kids think about what their own Christmas presents might be.  I don’t want the idea of helping others to be a foreign concept to my kids, but instead, one that comes naturally and done often.  So I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to give.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army was established in 1865, as a part of the universal Christian church.  Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from the Salvation Army throughout the year.  The Salvation Army provides services from assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, providing food for the hungry and those affected by disasters, providing clothing and shelter to the homeless, as well as opportunities for underprivileged children.

The Salvation Army is the same organization you see each year with the red kettles outside of stores.  Walmart has had a partnership with The Salvation for over 40 years now.  Last year, The Salvation Army received $46 million from shoppers outside of Walmart and Sams Club alone to help those in need.  Wow.  Americans are generous people and it’s amazing how all that change adds up!

My kids had fun choosing which toys to pick out.  They were very conscious about ensuring there were a fair amount of toys for both girls and boys.  We had $100 to spend on gifts to Fill the Truck, so the kids decided to calculate their spending by starting at $100 and subtracting out what they bought.  I was pretty impressed with them.  By the end of our fun shopping spree, I had long lost count of our total, but my kids knew exactly how much they spent, rounded to the nearest dollar.  What an added bonus that they got to help others while improving their shopping and math skills!

Here’s what we ended up with.  My kids preferred to give 10 presents for 10 kids rather than only a few large presents for a few kids.  As you can see from the cart, they did pretty well.  We couldn’t resist buying a few “well connected” toys too, such as the robot, Dreamlights (which light up the ceiling), and a Tonka Rescue Force truck (only $10!).

At the front of the store we found this Fill the Truck bin to put our goodies into.  Some stores will have a cardboard Fill the Truck bin, while others have smaller bins like ours.  If you can’t find the one in your store, just ask a manager.  Sometimes there’s a bin near the cash registers.

 A Mom’s Perspective

The kids and I had a great time shopping together.  I have to say it was liberating, in a sense, to buy something for someone who have no expectations.  In fact, the kids receiving these gifts probably don’t even think they’ll be getting anything for Christmas.  What a joy to give in this way.  I invite you to join my family and dropping off a gift or two in one of the Fill the Truck or Toys for Tots bin at Walmart.  It just might be a small gesture like this that leaves a lasting impact on your child…and another child you’ve never met.  Merry Christmas!

*  A special thanks to A Cowboy’s Wife for the original Fill the Truck photo!