WORCESTER – What began as a college party to raise money for children’s Christmas gifts transformed into the Planting the Seed Foundation, a nonprofit which has been serving homeless children and their families in Worcester for 50 years.
Planting the Seed Foundation serves vulnerable populations in the Worcester area through efforts such as school supply drives, meal programs, and even certifications to help parents find gainful employment.
Among Planting the Seed’s many community service programs is its annual Holiday Toy Drive & Party, the event where the nonprofit’s story originally began.
The Holiday Toy Drive is celebrating its 50th year on Thursday, Dec. 8 at MacDonald’s Tavern inside Worcester Fitness at 440 Grove St. starting at 5:30 PM.
Paul LaCava, a founding member who is on the Board of Directors for Planting the Seed credits a dedicated team and a huge community outpouring for the nonprofit’s continued success over the years.
“We have a lot of young leadership that hopefully will take this on for another 50 years. We have no staff. It’s all volunteer, 100% volunteer driven and we have tremendous board of volunteers. They give up their time,” LaCava said. “So this will continue. And we have our home base at Worcester Fitness, which is a phenomenal organization that has been by our side since the beginning.”
According to LaCava, the toy drive will provide Christmas gifts to over 1,000 families with donors expected to drop off $100,000 to $200,000 worth of gifts this year. The Foundation estimates that it has provided over $2 million worth of gifts over the years.
Inflation is taking its toll as families struggle to afford necessities never mind the extra costs of toys. LaCava said that Planting the Seed has seen a rise in families applying for assistance from programs such as the toy drive. While there are more people in need of services because of the economic toll, the other side of the coin is that donors are getting a few number of toys for the money that they are spending because of inflation. For example, basketballs that cost $20 last year are now $40. However, LaCava said, this is not stopping the generous donors from spreading holiday cheer.
Attendees are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped gifts for children in the age range of newborns to teens. This year, there is a need for teenage-oriented gifts such as sports items like footballs or soccer balls and family board games which is always a favorite for the age group.
The Worcester Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, and Sheriff’s Department are just a few of the regulars who show up to the party with tons of children’s gifts ready to be donated.
Those interested in donating new gifts to children are invited to the 50th Annual Holiday Toy Drive & Party on Thursday. For more information visit plantingtheseed.org.
Lead image courtesy: Planting the Seed Foundation