Toy swap helping Champaign County moms save money this Christmas

0

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Christmas Toy Swap, event organizer and Urbana resident Julie Yohey is again inviting moms to join her for a night of Christmas shopping without spending a dime.

Moms wishing to take part in the second annual Christmas Toy Swap are asked to gather any like-new toys their children no longer play with and take them to the event, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 at Life Net Christian Fellowship, 142 Dellinger Road in Urbana.

Individuals participating in the swap will be able to take home the same number of toys they take in, and there’s a chance each mom will leave with even more than that.

“Last year we had so many donated toys that there was an abundance, so every mommy left with heaping boxes full of toys,” Yohey said. “It was a lot of fun.”

In all, 15 moms took part in last year’s toy swap, Yohey said, and many others in the community donated toys in the weeks leading up to the event.

“We received a total of 246 toys last year,” she said. “We had teenagers drop off toys they no longer played with and grandmas donated toys their grandkids had outgrown.”

Anyone wanting to donate, but not take part in the swap, can place toys in bags/boxes labeled “toy swap” and drop them off at Life Net Christian Fellowship.

Along with the rows full of like-new toys, this year’s event will feature music and catered desserts compliments of Yohey and other mothers from Renewed Strength Church in Westville, a sister church of Life Net Christian Fellowship.

Yohey said as a result of participating in last year’s toy swap, she and her husband were able to donate toys to Caring Kitchen, Dayton Children’s Hospital and Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse International Relief.

“Since we spent less on our own kids, we were able to spend more on others,” she said.

Pictured are various moms at the inaugural Christmas Toy Swap held last year at Life Net Christian Fellowship.
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2015/11/web1_Toy-Swap.jpgPictured are various moms at the inaugural Christmas Toy Swap held last year at Life Net Christian Fellowship.

By Joshua Keeran

[email protected]

Joshua Keeran may be reached at 937-652-1331 (ext. 1774) or on Twitter @UDCKeeran.

No posts to display