Alpha Kappa Delta will be hosting their first “Holiday Toy Drive” to support children in need for Christmas.
Tomorrow and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., AKD will be tabling outside the Student Union to collect toy donations. However, the toy drive will continue until Dec. 1.
The goal of this drive is to help children affected by the flooding that took place earlier this year with a specific parish in mind.
“Livingston Parish was hit hard during the flooding that occurred in August 2016 and a lot of families lost everything they have,” said AKD President Martha Sibley, an applied sociology graduate student with a concentration in globalization and sustainability. “Every year, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office hosts a toy drive for families that cannot afford to purchase holiday gifts for their children. The LPSO usually provides for about 1,000 families every year, but expect the demand to be much higher this year due to the flooding.”
This is the first time that AKD is hosting the “Holiday Toy Drive.” They may make it an annual event depending on its success. The goal is not to collect the most toys possible, but to help those in need.
“The holidays are a very important time for families to come together to support one another, and not being able to provide gifts for their children can have detrimental effects on parents that are already hurting,” said Sibley. “AKD is hoping to aid the LPSO in having enough toys to not have to turn away any families that request assistance this year. Poverty and disaster can impact families in a lot of different ways and children are one of the more vulnerable groups.”
Toys should be for children between the ages of zero and 12. Also, gifts should have no wrapping paper.
All toys will be delivered directly to the LPSO and will be distributed to families by volunteers on Dec. 16. If you are unable to make a donation when ADK is tabling, donations may be dropped off at Fayard Hall Room 354 during regular school hours until Dec. 1.
Livingston Parish families who would like to apply for donations can find the guidelines at lpso.org