TOYS AND CLOTHING | Holiday drives

Here is a list of Christmas toy and clothing drives taking place around the Valley. To submit a toy or clothing drive, email jzuckla@vindy.com.

BRIGHTEN UP FOR KIDS

Brighten up for the Kids Inc. is collecting toys and gifts for the children at Akron Children’s Boardman Campus. All toys go directly to children who stay in the hospital or visit over the holidays. The list of donated items requested includes coloring books, new plush toys or stuffed animals, craft sets, games, DVDs, baby clothes, crayons, books, infant toys, Lego sets and cars. These businesses have offered to set up a collection box in their establishment to collect toys and gifts: One Hot Cookie (all locations), Stone Fruit Coffee Co. (Boardman location), HD Davis CPAs, LLC (Liberty location), Wonderstruck Artisan (Poland location), Youngstown Cycle Supply, Inc/Penn Ohio Motorsports (Boardman and Hubbard locations) and Trailside Bicycle Company (Canfield location). The collection runs through Jan. 7. The last day to drop off gifts is Thursday. For information, contact Megan at 330-788-9078 or by email at Youngstowncycle@yahoo.com.

SHEETZ FOR KIDS

Sheetz for the Kidz, an employee-run charity, will partner with The Salvation Army to host Christmas parties and make the holiday season brighter for more than 100,000 underprivileged children across the Mid-Atlantic. Sheetz for the Kidz is an employee-operated charitable organization that raises funds through in-store customer donations during the months of July and December, proceeds from Sheetz for the Kidz bottled water sales and the annual Sheetz for the Kidz Golf Classic as well as other fundraising events throughout the year. This holiday season, each of Sheetz’s 535 stores will support 16 children from their local communities by partnering with The Salvation Army to receive wish lists from local families. Sheetz employees volunteer their time to shop, wrap and host holiday parties for the children and their families. At the holiday parties, Santa will greet the children and present them with new toys, clothes and other basic needs purchased specifically for them. The children and their families will enjoy food, crafts, games and an opportunity to take pictures with Santa. All customer donations go directly to supporting the children in the community. Throughout December, Sheetz offers customers an opportunity to donate at the register. Customers can also purchase a Sheetz for the Kidz water bottle or shop on AmazonSmile and select “Sheetz for the Kidz” as the charity of choice. Amazon will donate a portion of the purchases to Sheetz for the Kidz. Go to www.sheetzforthekidz.org to donate online.