Receiving Toys
Teachers and counselors from the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) have a close relationship with kids in their classes and identify families in need. This system has proven effective for many years. The Fire Department also can recommend families we encounter while on emergency responses.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept phone requests or those made at the fire station, as we would have no way to verify the legitimacy of the request. It would also interrupt daily station activities. If you would like to request toys, please speak with your child’s teacher at school and ask they submit a request for you.
The LBFD services the city of Long Beach and can provide toys throughout. If you live in another city, please contact your local area fire department to see if they can assist you.
Since our requests come from the LBUSD, the kids we provide for are anywhere from infant through teenage years.
We begin accepting organization request forms starting November 1st. Each request form is time stamped when received and we take them “first come, first served”. There is no “official” deadline besides Christmas morning, but please know there is a limit to how many orders we can fill. That said, it is better to get your order in earlier than later. Either way, we cannot guarantee your request will be filled.
If selected, you will be notified when and where to come pick them up. Please don’t call to ask as we are working hard to fill as many orders as we can in a short amount of time.
If selected, you will be notified when and where to come pick them up, or we can arrange delivery.
Donating & Helping
We are not actively seeking volunteers as we already have a large group of regular helpers that get things done. That said, we don’t want to turn away those that want to help. If you want to volunteer, please submit your name and number under the contact link, and the Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch.
Toys received go to our Toy Warehouse to be sorted and bagged for delivery to the various families or youth based charities we deliver to. Monetary donations go to fund Toy Warehouse operations, or to purchase the larger more expensive gifts (i.e. bikes, electronics, and special requests) that we do not normally receive. All donation are tax deductible.
Whatever charity organization you decide to support is up to you and always appreciated. If you decide to trust us with your donation, please know that we take this responsibility seriously. Our toy drive has been active since 1955 and each year (with your generous support) we are privileged to be able to gift several hundred kids and multiple youth based charity groups serving the Long Beach Community.
Toy Donation Boxes can be found at select Long Beach businesses. For the most part, we have a long-standing relationship with those locations. That said, we are not looking to add any more business locations at this time for a few reasons:
- Security of the boxes and the toys donated. Thefts have occurred in the past.
- More box locations doesn’t necessarily mean more toys received
- More box locations does mean additional work delivering and collecting the boxes with limited help during the crunch time right before Christmas
- Your business is welcomed to collect, but please take what is received to your local area fire station.
Gift cards are a great way to donate because they can be given directly to the family, or teen, to get the things they really need, like clothes, school supplies, or food. We receive plenty of toy donations, but gift cards are able to buy the essentials. Cards from the “big box” stores such as Target, Walmart, Food Markets, etc. are best. Small increment cards are best (i.e. $5, 10, 20, etc.) Whatever your budget allows is appreciated.
There is a PayPal link located HERE. If you prefer to send a check, please address the check to Friends of Long Beach Firefighters and write Spark of Love in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to:
Spark of Love
c/o Long Beach Fire Department
3205 Lakewood Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90808
Federal Tax ID #931223990
Thank you! We appreciate it! Feel free to contact Toy Drive Coordinator to discuss.