Where to Donate Stuffed Animals, Action Figures, and Other Toys

As holidays and birthdays come and go (and come again), it's easy to find yourself surrounded by too much stuff—including dozens of stuffed animals, outgrown toys, never-opened science sets, and like-new books.

Donating these items to a charity, shelter, or other community organization allows you to streamline your toy cabinet while minimizing your landfill impact—and providing another child with his or her new favorite plaything.

National and Local Charities

National and local charities are great options to consider when looking to donate any used toys.

• Toys for Tots: Toys for Tots is a well-known charity that gives toys and books to children in need and is run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. "If you're trying to make ends meet and you're a little down on your luck, buying presents might [be] the last thing you're thinking of when you're trying to cover rent, food, and basic bills—so a toy can be pretty impactful to a child," says Ted Silvester, vice president of marketing development. Toys for Tots takes only new toys during its annual toy drives (but it's an ideal way to pass along the still-unopened gifts from your kid's last birthday party).
  
• Cradles to Crayons: The organization is devoted to giving low-income children toys and other necessities, including arts and crafts and school supplies. They have locations in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
• Donation Town: Donation Town is an online listing of charities that accept donated goods, can help you find local or national charities that serve your area, including contact information for the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Vietnam Veterans of America, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the SPCA. Since local outposts of national organizations often have their own rules for items they can accept and process, you should contact individual offices directly.
• GreenDrop: GreenDrop is an organization that also works with nonprofit partners to provide donated items to thrift stores.

Children's Homes and Shelters

If you want to make sure your used toys have plenty of children to love on them, then local children's homes or homeless shelters are an exceptional option. Ask your local shelters if they're looking for toy donations and give back to the little ones in your own community.

Hospitals

Many hospitals accept used toy donations to share with young patients or even visitors, but be sure to ask about donation rules and guidelines before making the trip; they may have hygiene restrictions or other rules around what you can and cannot donate.

Fire Departments and Police Stations

Firefighters and police officers often keep stuffed animals and toys nearby to comfort children in emergency situations. If you want to contribute your child's gently used toys to this cause, connect with your local fire department, or consider giving your items to Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE). This organization accepts gently used stuffed animals, blankets, books, children's clothes, and baby items, and then finds organizations in the area that can use the donations for youngsters who are experiencing distress. New England-based Project Smile collects new stuffed animals for children in similar situations.

Places of Worship

Churches, synagogues, and mosques all offers ways to connect to families in need in your community, either through donation events or by directly reaching out to specific members; many also have nursery schools or daycares that take donations. If you have a lot of toys to donate, call around to a few different places of worship to ask if and when they're accepting any toy donations.

Recycling Programs

Ultimately, if no one wants your toys or they're in bad shape, you should try to recycle them. Search online to find out whether you have any local recycling non-profits near you. For example, Hasbro has partnered with Terracycle to accept donated used toys and games, which are taken apart and processed into raw materials.