“Our recipient count is higher this year, which was anticipated,” said Mike Hunstad, president of Toys for Joy.
Hunstad said the group normally operates out of the National Guard Armory in downtown Anoka, but because it’s being used for COVID-19 testing they had to look somewhere else. They eventually landed at a warehouse in Coon Rapids.
“It’s going to work out fabulous,” said Hunstad. “We have loading docks. We’ve never had that before. We’re very grateful.”
The location isn’t the only thing to change, however. COVID’s restrictions and regulations have affected the process as a whole.
“Families are not going to be able to come in and shop for their own goods,” he said. Volunteers will instead shop for the families based on the wish lists the children had submitted.
Instead of having over 150 volunteers Toys for Joy has been asked to keep their number of volunteers to a maximum of 20, creating a lot of work for people involved.
“That push (for volunteers) started others that are fortunate right now that want to be able to give more to start reaching out,” Hunstad said.
There won’t be a shortage of toys for younger kids as Hunstad says that despite the limited drop site locations, people have been taking the initiative to create their own drop sites for toys. He also said older children, ages 12-18, will be the hardest to provide gifts for.
“They’re the most expensive to buy for, they’re the most difficult to buy for, and they’re the most forgotten by those who drop off at our drive sites,” he said. “We do what we can do.”
