Since the 1980s, Wegmans has partnered with various organizations to host toy drives in our stores for local children. Each store has the option to choose where the toys they collect will be donated, giving them the opportunity to work with local nonprofits they are passionate about. As the holiday season approaches, our stores are once again kicking off their drives to collect toys and books for kids in need.

In Rochester, New York, many of our stores partner with the Pirate Toy Fund for their holiday toy drives. The organization supplies new toys year-round to agencies that bring aid and comfort to thousands of children in need. Since 1995, the Pirate Toy Fund has distributed over 500,000 toys throughout the Greater Rochester region. Our Rochester division also donates $7,500 to the organization each year and dozens of employees volunteer their time to sort the toys following the drive.

One of the most well-known toy drives in the country is Toys for Tots, an annual program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Several Wegmans locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey hold annual drives for their local Toys for Tots campaign. The donations from these drives benefit Toys for Tots holiday programs, but they also provide toys to local foster children, to Native American reservations, and books to their literacy programs. Our Virginia and Washington, D.C., stores donate the collected toys directly to the Foundation’s headquarters, located just outside the main gate of Marine Corps Base at Quantico near Washington, D.C.

Many of our stores elect to work with smaller, local organizations for their toy drives each year. Our Auburn, New York, location donates toys to the Christmas Elf program; the Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, North Carolina, stores partner with their local Children’s Hospitals; and in Medford, Massachusetts, and Columbia, Maryland, the toys are provided to the local police departments for their community service programs.

“There’s nothing quite like watching a child’s eyes light up as they unwrap a gift, but many families struggle to make ends meet, especially during this time of year,” said Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans community relations manager. “Our annual toy drives are a great way to give back to kids in your local community and spread cheer this holiday season.”

Together, our stores, customers, and employees donate hundreds of toys, worth thousands of dollars, to children in their communities through these drives each year. Most drives begin in November and run through early to mid-December. Check with your local Wegmans store for details about their toy drive.