Westchester County Kicks Off Annual Holiday Gift Drive
Westchester County’s 20th annual Holiday Gift Drive has begun.
First launched in 2005, the drive collects toys as well as monetary donations to buy presents and gift cards to help the County brighten the holiday season for the most vulnerable children in Westchester. The drive services around 1,000 children in foster care, the homeless and child welfare systems.
Running through Monday, December 15, residents can drop off new, unwrapped gifts appropriate for newborns up to age 21 at one of six locations throughout the county. Please no stuffed animals or violent toys.
Monetary donations are accepted in the form of gift cards, Zelle, or checks made payable to: “Westchester Child Welfare Holiday Fund.”
Donations may be mailed to Barbara Sabater 112 East Post Road, Room 637, White Plains, New York 10601.
Electronic Donations may be sent via Zelle to the ID email: WCDSSHolidayGiftDrive@gmail.com.
County Executive Ken Jenkins said: “The joy and excitement of receiving a holiday gift is about more than just getting a new toy – it sends a message of love. Every child deserves that experience, but especially those children who find themselves in difficult circumstances this holiday season. Please, if you’re able, help us send that message of love to children in Westchester who really need that message the most. And please join me in thanking Barbara Sabater who founding this gift drive 20 years ago. Her commitment to this effort and the children of Westchester County is an inspiration to us all.”
Department of Social Services Commissioner Leonard Townes said: “Childhood experiences shape us in way we don’t always realize. For children experiencing homelessness or separation from family, the effects can be traumatic, having long-term consequences for their health and well-being. Dropping off a gift in a box or making a monetary donation may be a small thing for us, but for a child, that gift lets them know they’re not forgotten, that they do matter, that the world is not a cold, heartless place.”
Gift Drive founder Barbara Sabater, program coordinator of constituent affairs for the Westchester County Department of Social Services, said: “I’m so thankful to all the residents, businesses, community groups and others who have helped us for two decades provide happier holidays for children in our care. If you can get to a drop box with a toy, we appreciate you. If you can make a monetary donation, we appreciate you. There are other ways to help too. School groups, scout groups, religious groups and others have collected gifts for us as well, as the County’s Youth Bureau did last year with a special focus on our most forgotten population, the teenagers. If you want to help that way, please reach out to me at bms7@WestchesterCountyNY.gov or call (914) 995-1937 and I can help coordinate. Let’s make this a great holiday for our kids.”
Westchester County Youth Bureau Executive Director Ernest McFadden said: “The Westchester County Youth Bureau, along with our Youth Board, our local school districts and My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) partners are so excited to be collaborating for the second year in support of the Department of Social Service Annual Holiday Drive. Last year, our youth who helped with the gift collection got so much value out of that process. This year, they will assist by helping us understand what our older youth would most enjoy receiving as gifts. Our support reflects our commitment to fostering a stronger, more compassionate community for everyone, especially during the holiday season.”