How to donate toys and charity Christmas gifts to children

Christmas is a magical time for so many children – waiting for Santa to arrive, unwrapping presents, feasting on roast dinner. But it is also an expensive time of year, especially amid the cost of living crisis, and many children will have to go without this Christmas. If you’ve ever considered giving a Christmas gift or donating a toy to a child who might otherwise not receive one, now is the time.

There are a number of ways to give presents to disadvantaged kids, from toy drives to cash donations. Read on to find out how you could give a child a reason to smile with charity Christmas gifts.

This is just a small selection of toy appeals running across the country, and there will be many more as we approach Christmas. Keep an eye out on how you can support organisations near you, or you could even set up your own toy appeal.

Read more:

• Volunteering on Christmas Day: How you can get involved
• ‘The lights are so beautiful’: Refugees on their first Christmas in the UK
• ‘We all deserve magic’: Meet the teachers working to bring Christmas joy to children in poverty

Donate a toy to a child in need

The Salvation Army is teaming up with toy shop The Entertainer again this year to give gifts to even more children across the UK who would otherwise go without.

You can buy a toy to donate through The Entertainer toy shop, or add a £5 donation to your basket online, and they will pass it on to the Salvation Army to be given to kids in need this Christmas.

For every toy donated by the public to the Big Toy Appeal, the retailer will match it to provide an extra toy for a disadvantaged family at Christmas.

The Big Toy Appeal will run in all UK stores, as well as online. The appeal closes on 29 November.

There are also more local toy appeals running across the country. That includes Toy Appeal in north-west England, which has provided more than 65,000 toy sacks to disadvantaged children since 2013. It doesn’t accept donations of toys, as they buy wholesale, but you can donate cash through their JustGiving page.

Donate a toy at your local supermarket

Lidl has also announced the the return of its nationwide toy donation drive this Christmas. Customers can drop off new and unopened toys and games to the stores’ toy banks, to be gifted to children who need support in their local area.

Donations can be anything from a small stocking filler to a prized toy. Sought-after items include toys, games, books, puzzles, and arts and crafts, for a range of ages.

The toys will then be donated to toy bank charity partners, coordinated by Neighbourly – these include food banks, charities and community groups. The appeal closes on 15 December. Find out more.

Dunelm has also announced the return of its Delivering Joy at Christmas campaign. Customers can find a tag in-store with a description of the person in need of a present, then they can buy a gift for the person and drop it off in-store to be delivered.

Dunelm is also accepting cash donations. Find out more.

Donate a toy to a child in conflict zones

You can also donate a toy to a child in conflict zones through Find Refuge’s Circle of Toys campaign.

To become a part of the initiative, you should visit their website, register and select a request that aligns with the age and theme of the toy. Once approved, participants will receive the family’s mailing address to send their toy.

Donate cash to help a child facing a difficult Christmas

Through Action for Children, you can be a ‘secret Santa’ for a child in need to brighten their festive season.

For £25 you can pay for a young person’s Christmas present. Until 3 December, Nationwide is doubling your donations up to a total of £200,000, meaning every £1 you donate will be worth £2. Find out more.

Donate to Family Action to support children to have a special Christmas. A donation of £10 could buy a soft toy for a child and £25 could provide a family with food and essentials for Christmas.

And Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas campaign is back until 18 December and accepts gift applications from organisations supporting children. You can donate cash or gifts.

Donate to a baby bank

Little Village runs a network of baby banks in London, providing essential items including toys to families all year round. Find out more.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life this Christmas.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – or support online with a vendor support kit or a subscription – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.