It’s the 12 Days of Christmas, and we are thrilled to share that this year’s Disney Ultimate Toy Drive tally has broken an all-time Disney record with more than 270,000 toys and counting for children in need! We can’t think of a better way to celebrate thegiving season than by thanking all of those who are helping make this year’s Disney Ultimate Toy Drive a record-breaking success! So thank you, yes, YOU, for taking a moment to give during this special time of year.
Since the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive kicked off last month, we’ve truly been blown away by the generosity of our guests, cast members and community. To match that spirit of giving, on Giving Tuesday we shared that Disney would give grants to Toys for Tots that will provide an additional 75,000 toys to kids in need. And there is still time to join in by donating a toy online at shopDisney.com/ToyDrive through Christmas Eve.
Disney has supported Toys for Tots since 1947, when Walt Disney and his team of animators designed the Toys for Tots logo that is still used today. Since then, Toys for Tots Marines and volunteers have distributed 652 million toys to over 291 million children.
For 100 years, giving has remained at the core of Disney’s values – from the food donated to the toys collected and hours volunteered, it’s at the heart of what we do. This holiday season, we are proud to continue this century-long legacy of delivering joy all around the world.
Our cast members look forward to our annual Toys for Tots drive, with toy collection boxes filling cast areas across our theme parks and resorts. Our teams also take part in special Disney VoluntEARS opportunities as part of the drive, helping to sort and distribute toys. Here are just a few highlights of the generosity and heart that our cast members put into giving to those in need.
Walt Disney World cast member, Jen McKechnie, decided to celebrate Disney’s centennial by volunteering with 100 different nonprofit organizations this year. For her 100th organization, she chose to support Toys for Tots and help distribute toys donated by her fellow cast members to children and families in Florida! She’s supported organizations across Florida and beyond, creating positive change for families, future storytellers, teachers, wish families and more.
Congratulations to Jen for hitting her goal and making such an incredible difference.
Over at the Disneyland Resort, cast members in the Costuming department put their creative talents to work by creating handmade bears and costumes from repurposed fabric to donate to Toys for Tots and create new one-of-a-kind toys made with care for kids in need.
The annual project first began in 2021 by a few cast members and has grown to more than 50 participants at Disneyland Resort and even more across the country – the Walt Disney World Costuming team was also inspired to get involved.
Cast members volunteer their own time each season to create these one-of-a-kind handmade teddy bears to provide comfort for children in need of holiday gifts. This year, the team at Disneyland Resort produced more than 60 handmade bears to be donated and also introduced a new form of crochet technique incorporated into the design.
For Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s Christmas Toy Drive, the resort is donating 60,000 toys! And at Disneyland Paris, 170 Disney VoluntEARS and their families wrapped more than 3,000 Disney toys to be distributed to over 60 French hospitals. Throughout December and on Christmas Day, Disney VoluntEARS and characters will visit local hospitals to bring toys and good cheer to children.
From all of us at Disney, happy holidays and Merry Christmas!
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