The answers, before you have to ask.
The questions we hear most.
Donating, hosting, and how the operation works. If your question isn’t here, write to us — a real person answers.
Giving a toy.
What we accept, where it goes, and the easiest ways to put a new toy in a child’s hands.
What kinds of toys do you accept?
New, unwrapped toys for ages 0–17.
What can’t I donate?
We can’t accept used toys, clothing, food. Every toy we hand out has to be new and unopened, and clothing and food fall outside what the drive does.
Where do I drop off toys?
Our San Jose warehouse at 186 Barnard Ave, San Jose, CA 95125, Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. No appointment required — drop in during business hours.
Can I ship toys instead of dropping them off?
Yes. Open our Amazon wish list, order anything on it, and set the shipping address to Joey’s Toy Drive HQ at checkout. The toys arrive at the warehouse — you never leave home.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Not currently — we can’t issue tax-deduction receipts today. We’ll update this page the day that changes.
Can I donate 50 or more toys at once?
Yes — we’ll come to you. Free pickup anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area for donations of 50 or more toys. Email info@joeystoydrive.org with the count, address, and a date that works.
What happens to my toys after I donate?
Volunteers sort every toy by age at the San Jose warehouse, then send them out through partner nonprofits, schools, faith communities, and community organizations across nine Bay Area counties in the last week of December.
Can I donate cash?
We take physical toys rather than cash right now. To give money toward toys today, order from the Amazon wish list: you pay, the toys ship straight to the warehouse.
Hosting a drive.
Run a collection box at your workplace, school, or faith community. We supply everything but the people.
How do I host a drive at my workplace?
Email info@joeystoydrive.org with your workplace name, a contact, and roughly how many toys you expect. We confirm by email and ship your collection boxes before November 1.
Does it cost anything?
No. We supply the collection boxes, printed materials, pickup, sorting, and distribution. The workplace supplies a location and the people. There’s no setup fee and no contract.
What size organization can host?
Any. Hosts run from neighborhood firms to Fortune 500s. Schools, faith communities, scout troops, and community groups host every year too.
When does the drive run?
November 1 through December 18. We pick up boxes at the end of season and distribute the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Can a school or faith community host instead of a workplace?
Yes. The process is identical — same boxes, same materials, same pickup. Schools, faith communities, scout troops, and community groups make up a large part of the network of about 120 partners.
About the drive.
Who runs it, where it happens, and how a volunteer team moves tens of thousands of toys each December.
Is Joey’s Toy Drive a nonprofit?
We operate as a volunteer-run nonprofit drive. We can’t currently issue tax-deductible receipts. The drive has run continuously since 2012 with no paid staff.
Who runs Joey’s Toy Drive?
Joey Childs started the drive in December 2012 at age 8, and still directs it. The whole operation is volunteer-run: a small core leadership team, plus a wider crew through the season.
Where does the operation happen?
Our warehouse at 186 Barnard Ave, San Jose, CA 95125 is the central operations hub. Toys come in from about 120 partners, get sorted by age, and go out to partner distribution organizations across nine counties.
What counties do you serve?
Nine: Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Cruz.
How are logistics handled at this scale?
Silicon Valley Moving & Storage donates the trucks, warehouse space, and freight handling every year. That support is what lets a volunteer team move 40,000 toys in a single season.
How many toys do you collect annually?
The 2024 drive collected 30,000 toys; 2025 collected nearly 40,000. We’re verifying earlier-year totals before we publish them.
Can I volunteer?
Yes. We need the most hands from mid-November through the end of December — sorting, distribution, and driving. Email info@joeystoydrive.org with your availability.
Still wondering about something?
Write to us. A volunteer reads every message and writes back.