Every Christmas for the past 10 years, organizers
from St. Nicholas Toy Box collect and distribute new toys to children in need
in Jenkins County, a southeast Georgia community of less than 10,000 people.
Driven by a true spirit of giving, the organization has served more than 2,000
area families and handed out thousands of toys.
St. Nicholas Toy Box was formed to impact the lives of local children. Joe Brady and Sam Eades, co-owners of Spring Creek Auction, started the organization after donating to other charities where the toys were distributed outside of Jenkins County. Brady and Eades wanted to get toys directly into the hands of the children in the county, where almost 30 percent of the population live below the poverty line.
"We firmly believe every child deserves nice toys for Christmas," said Brady. "The people in our community are a caring bunch who want to help. St. Nicholas Toy Box is a wonderful way to channel their spirit of giving and spread joy during the holiday season."
Each child receives a "wow" toy and two to three smaller toys. All toys are brand new. Most of the toys are donated by Spring Creek Auction customers throughout the year, and the rest are donated by members of the community.
In the 2024 holiday season, St. Nicholas Toy Box served more than 170 families with children from newborns to 13-year-olds. Leftover toys are donated to other organizations such as the Sheriff's department and Safe Haven, an emergency safe house for the victims of domestic violence and their children.
The St. Nicholas Toy Box board receives applications from local families each November. The five members of the board do the majority of the collecting, processing, and distributing of the toys.
"As long as there are children in need in Jenkins County, St Nicholas Toy Box will be there to make Christmas special," said Brady.
Donations can be made to St. Nicholas Toy Box through the CashApp to $TimesNewspapers, noting the donation is for St. Nicholas Toy Box.
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