Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, is hosting its annual holiday toy drive to provide Christmas gifts to families across the state.
Every year, with the support of generous donors, Better Together provides Christmas gifts to the families it serves. The nonprofit is now accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys for children 0-17 years old. Items of greatest need include toys for younger children and gift cards in increments of $25 for older children.
Better Together is collecting donations at 40 drop-off locations across the state, including in Belleview, Bonita Springs, Bradenton, Cape Coral, Clearwater, Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Haines City, Jacksonville, Jensen Beach, Lady Lake, Melbourne, Naples, Ocala, Orlando, Parrish, Plant City, Port St. Lucie, Ruskin, Sarasota, Sebring, St. Petersburg, Summerfield, Vero Beach and Wimauma. Toys will be distributed to families served by Better Together across six regions of Florida, which span 48 counties.
“The holidays are a joyous time to celebrate with loved ones, but it can also present additional challenges and stress to families,” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “With the recent storm impacts felt across the state, families can’t meet even the most basic of needs let alone worry about buying Christmas presents. Our goal is to alleviate the burden of these families and provide every child with a present to wake up to on Christmas.”
Toys will be distributed to vetted, hardworking families within Better Together’s programs. For the latest list of participating locations, visit BetterTogetherUS.org/2024-Christmas-Toy-Drive. The deadline to donate toys to help impact families is Dec. 10.
Volunteers can also sign up to Adopt a Family for Christmas. Volunteers are connected to a specific family in need of support this holiday season, filling the family’s wish list and delivering the gifts directly to the family. The deadline to sign up is Dec. 15 at BetterTogetherUS.org/Xmas-Adopt/.
Established in Southwest Florida in 2015, Better Together’s programming has rapidly expanded to reach families in six regions of Florida, which span 48 counties. To date, Better Together has helped 10,000 children and kept 98% of children served through mentoring and hosting out of foster care, while its jobs ministry has helped nearly 40,000 job seekers find employment through church-based job fairs across 24 states.
To learn more about Better Together and its mission, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
About Better Together
Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
