KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Every year, the Kent County Department of Health and Human Services (KDHHS) hosts a toy drive for children entering the foster system during the holiday season in the county.
Between the months of November and December, nearly 100 children will enter into the foster system in Kent County.
When children enter into the system, they often only bring a single bag of clothes and belongings with them when they are placed in a home. The foster parents also have a very short amount of warning that a child is being placed in their home.
Because of the lack of warning, foster families are often not fully prepared to provide gifts and other odds and ends for the children during the holiday season.
This drive lets people in the community help these foster families provide a happy holiday season for these children. KDHHS takes the donations and makes holiday packs of toys and other essentials to give to foster families for the kids during the holidays.
It is extremely easy to donate, either purchase toys or other everyday items like socks, coats, hats, gloves or other essentials and drop them off at the KDHHS offices, or just purchase items off of the KDHHS's Amazon Wish List to be delivered directly to the offices.
The KDHHS offices are located at 121 Franklin St SE #200 in Grand Rapids and their hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The drive was originally created by Connie Kelly, an adopted child herself and a morning radio personality on Grand Rapids' MIX 95.7 who passed away from cancer in 2021.
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