Toy Industry Foundation Grants $400,000 and 50,000 Toys to My Stuff
Bags Foundation
Groundbreaking Partnership Launches with Holiday Distribution Across
the Country
NEW YORK, NY (December 3, 2008) –
The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF)
announced a new, national partnership with My Stuff Bags Foundation,
a charitable organization that provides new belongings and hope to
children in crisis, especially those suffering from abuse, neglect
and abandonment. The sponsorship, which includes a pledge of
$400,000 and 50,000 toys over two years, represents the most
significant commitment to date from the Toy Industry Foundation.
Every year more than 300,000 children are rescued from abuse; they
often enter shelters with nothing of their very own. The new
partnership will ensure that each year at least 30,000 of those in
need will receive a My Stuff Bag filled with essential items
including clothing, toiletries, handmade blankets and a stuffed
animal. The partnership will launch this holiday season with the
distribution of 2,000 My Stuff duffel bags to crisis shelters and
foster care agencies in 20 cities across the nation beginning in
December. Each bag will now include a new toy that has been
generously donated to The Toy Bank™ by toy industry manufacturers.
“The Toy Industry Foundation believes in the transformative power of
play in the lives of all children,” said Jean Butler, TIF Executive
Director. “Nowhere is this power more compelling and essential than
in the lives of those children who suffer abuse, loss and sudden
separation from family. We welcome the opportunity to join forces
with My Stuff Bags Foundation to send a message of hope to these
deserving children.”
Throughout the year, The Toy Industry Foundation will manage ongoing
toy drives to support the efforts of My Stuff Bags Foundation.
Industry representatives will also volunteer their time in
“stuff-a-thons.”
“We are thrilled to have the support of a partner like the Toy
Industry Foundation and very appreciative of their generosity,” said
Janeen Holmes, president and CEO, My Stuff Bags Foundation.
“Children who are rescued from abuse and neglect so often enter
shelters with nothing of their own. Now thousands more will have a
My Stuff Bag filled with stuff they need and the joy of new toys!”
About the Toy Industry Foundation
The Toy Industry Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose
mission is to bring joy, comfort, and learning to children in need
through toys and play. While other organizations provide food,
shelter and support services to children and their families, TIF
sees to it that these children have toys and opportunities to play
in an attempt to restore both fun and a sense of normalcy to their
lives. The Foundation currently fulfills its mission through core
programs including The Toy Bank™, public education initiatives, and
grants to organizations whose missions are in line with that of the
Toy Industry Foundation. For more information, visit
www.toyindustryfoundation.org.
About My Stuff Bags Foundation
My Stuff Bags was launched in 1998 to address some of the immediate
physical and emotional needs of children who must be rescued from
abuse, neglect and abandonment. Traumatized by the events leading to
their rescue, these children often enter shelters and foster care
with no belongings. Each individual My Stuff duffel bag is filled
with new donated items, giving children comfort and hope and letting
them know that lots of people care about them. To date, the
nonprofit has donated more than 330,000 bags to children in over
1,100 organizations in 49 states. For more information on My Stuff
Bags visit www.mystuffbags.org.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Toy Industry Foundation
Amanda McDorman
(646) 520-4878
amcdorman@toyindustryfoundation.org
My Stuff Bags Foundation
Audra Shore
(818) 723-4311
audrashore02@aol.com
