Winter-themed toy drive held Tuesday in Cranberry
CRANBERRY TWP — Snow-covered trees set the scene for Giving Tuesday, the post-Thanksgiving event that ushers in the generosity of the holiday season.
And in Cranberry Township, hot chocolate, cookies and Charlie Batch welcomed those willing to partake in the winter kindness by donating toys to families in need for Christmas gifts.
At the 15th annual event, MSA Safety Inc. and the Best of the Batch Foundation teamed up for a winter-themed toy drive at the company's upper parking lot in Cranberry Woods, where in years past donors have filled a bounce house with unwrapped presents for children, from infants to age 16.
While high wind advisories nixed the bounce house this year, the event — and donations — went on. And despite changes for the pandemic, the toy drive went on in earnest with the same goal as in past iterations.
“We're treating it the same, even though we know there's a difference for many families in the area,” said Batch, a former Steelers quarterback.Each year, the foundation receives and distributes more than 8,000 toys and other donations, primarily as a result of the drives. In 2019, more than 50 boxes, each about 3 feet high, were filled as a result of the drive at MSA, Batch said.Deb Morrow, executive assistant to the CEO at MSA, said this year's drive was not as immediately successful as prior years had been, mainly because a large number of employees were working from home.“When we're live and in person, we're able to help people in the hallways, we have flyers and other stuff,” Morrow said.Despite the lag in morning donations, Batch was optimistic about how this year would turn out. He added there were multiple other toy drives his foundation will hold, and said people who may be unable to come to one in person can donate through online purchases at retailers such as Amazon, or could donate to the foundation directly, links to both of which are available on its website.Batch said the foundation teams up with local school districts to identify students in need, mainly through guidance counselors because in his opinion they have the best understanding of children's and families' needs.“When we go and deliver them, we know exactly who these toys are going to,” he said.That benefit extends to being able to personalize the gifts for each child, as even the wrapping paper is individualized. Morrow said MSA employees plan on helping wrap presents at two events this December.
Much as with Batch's toy drive, other area nonprofits and charities benefitted from Giving Tuesday.Denna Hays, executive director of the Butler County Alliance for Children, said that while the organization hasn't been able to hold two of its fundraisers this year due to pandemic restrictions, an online campaign Tuesday was a large help to the nonprofit.Typically, she said, people can choose the alliance as a charity to which donations should be directed on their birthday, and for those held via Facebook the organization typically receives a few hundred dollars. But on Tuesday, more than $1,000 was raised online.“Any amount of funds that we receive helps,” Hays said. “A lot of that ($1,000) will hopefully be matched.”In a year when more people than usual are in need of help, it's been rough for nonprofit organizations around the county to provide the level of help needed. Hays said the alliance has been forced to dip into its reserves.But, she added, the community has recognized the work the alliance does against child abuse and support of victims and has rallied to help it and other nonprofits. When the state mandated school closures this spring, the organization started its “Play Safe, Stay Safe” initiative, in which it worked with districts that were giving meals to students in need to hand out board games that had been donated or purchased with donated funds.“The community was fabulous,” she said.Hays said no nonprofit can function without the help of people and their generosity. She encouraged Butler County residents to continue supporting charities that mean something to them, even beyond Giving Tuesday.“I always tell people, 'If you see toilet paper on sale, buy some for your favorite charity — or paper towels, copy machine paper, stamps,'” she said. “People think they need a lot of money to donate, but you can make a difference with $1.”
