Courtesy of Camp Friendship
All The Holiday Toy Drives and Giveaways Happening in Brooklyn This Week
The dedicated parties, weeks-long campaigns, and neighborhood-wide efforts centering community and spreading some joy for the holidays
December in Brooklyn has a way of sharpening things. The cold, the lights, the awareness of who’s got enough and who doesn’t, it all tends to intensify during the holidays. So, toy drives and giveaways here aren’t as sentimental as they may seem. They’re actually quite practical responses to a very predictable squeeze, organized by block associations, churches, mutual aid crews, small businesses, and people who just get the math of rent, groceries, growing kids, and salaries never keeping up.
This year, they take the form of dedicated parties, weeks-long campaigns, and neighborhood-wide efforts, and provide a sobering snapshot of the borough at its best: centering community, spreading joy, and showing up with follow-through, because local action still carries weight.
Here are ten toy drives and giveaways you can find in Brooklyn (with one worthy exception) ahead of the holidays, all of which could use a hand if you’ve got some time. They’re sorted below by either when they are or when they end, and RSVP, or some type of check-in, is required where noted.
Courtesy of To The Moon
December 20
Pear NYC and Toys For Tots’ Toy Drive
1100 Bedford Ave.
For the next few days, Pear NYC will be accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys at its Bed-Stuy location at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Lexington Avenue.
Camp Friendship Toy Drive
339 8th Street
The youth programming and food supply non-profit has been collecting toys at its Park Slope drop-off on Fridays (between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.) for most of December. This week marks its final donation days before the holidays.
Find Community Connection Project’s Toy Drive Giveaway
495 Flatbush Ave
The annual toy drive from the FCCP is going down on Saturday at BKLYN Commons, just a block over from Prospect Park. Attendees are required to RSVP and arrive early, with a child, to ensure gifts are distributed in a fair and timely way.
Taller De Rafa and Cafe Colmado’s Holiday Toy Drive Party
286 Broome St.
Our lone pick for a non-Brooklyn event felt energetically aligned with efforts across the borough, not simply because it’s a great party with a great cause, but because all donations will be wrapped and sent directly to children in Jamaica, which is still well into its recovery from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa this fall.
Assemblymember Nikki Lucas’ Brooklyn Gives Back Toy Drive and Giveaway
1540 Van Siclen Ave.
The East New York rep is partnering with FCCP and rallying local volunteers at the Brooklyn Sports Club to get some joy into households in need this holiday season.
Soul Care: A Winter Community Toy Giveback
33 7th Ave.
This event describes itself as a “cozy winter gathering focused on giving back to our community and nourishing our souls,” and that sounds like the precise sentiment the season needs.
To The Moon’s 5th Annual Holiday Toy Drive
Maria Hernandez Park
A cannabis company with a conscience and a sense of community obligation? That’s just what we have here, with To The Moon’s 5th annual toy drive, where they’ll be collecting donations of new gifts and cash designated to purchasing toys for kids in the neighborhood.
Courtesy of Tappin Lounge
December 21
The Holiday Groove Toy Drive Bashment
5201 Church Ave.
East Flatbush can find a little love and support at the Tappin Lounge, where toys are being collected from 4. p.m. on. This one sounds like it could be a good hang, as well, but be sure to bring enough donations to cover anyone you pull up with.
Senator Roxanne J. Persaud’s Toys & More Distribution
1001 East 100th St.
State Senator Persaud is showing up for her district with a gift distribution event at the John Wilson School (I.S. 211) in Canarsie. Starting at 2 p.m., volunteers will begin giving out toys to families with children present. There’s no check-in required, but this one is first-come, first-served.
Courtesy of LQQK Studio
December 23
LQQK Studio and Carhartt WIP’s Holiday Toy Drive
132 Bedford Ave. and 286 Lafayette St.
The Bushwick-based screenprinters have partnered with Carhartt WIP and Studio 33 on their 2025 toy drive, which is running right up until the holiday, and accepting donations at either of Carhartt’s NYC locations in SoHo or Williamsburg.
