Dec 3, 2008

Toy Industry Foundation Grants $400,000 and 50,000 Toys to My Stuff Bags Foundation

NEW YORK, NY – The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) announced a new, national partnership with My Stuff Bags Foundation, a charitable organization that provides new belongings and hope to children in crisis, especially those suffering from abuse, neglect and abandonment. The sponsorship, which includes a pledge of $400,000 and 50,000 toys over two years, represents the most significant commitment to date from the Toy Industry Foundation.

Every year more than 300,000 children are rescued from abuse; they often enter shelters with nothing of their very own. The new partnership will ensure that each year at least 30,000 of those in need will receive a My Stuff Bag filled with essential items including clothing, toiletries, handmade blankets and a stuffed animal. The partnership will launch this holiday season with the distribution of 2,000 My Stuff duffel bags to crisis shelters and foster care agencies in 20 cities across the nation beginning in December. Each bag will now include a new toy that has been generously donated to The Toy Bank by toy industry manufacturers.

“The Toy Industry Foundation believes in the transformative power of play in the lives of all children,” said Jean Butler, TIF Executive Director. “Nowhere is this power more compelling and essential than in the lives of those children who suffer abuse, loss and sudden separation from family. We welcome the opportunity to join forces with My Stuff Bags Foundation to send a message of hope to these deserving children.”

Throughout the year, The Toy Industry Foundation will manage ongoing toy drives to support the efforts of My Stuff Bags Foundation. Industry representatives will also volunteer their time in “stuff-a-thons.”

“We are thrilled to have the support of a partner like the Toy Industry Foundation and very appreciative of their generosity,” said Janeen Holmes, president and CEO, My Stuff Bags Foundation. “Children who are rescued from abuse and neglect so often enter shelters with nothing of their own. Now thousands more will have a My Stuff Bag filled with stuff they need and the joy of new toys!”

About the Toy Industry Foundation
The Toy Industry Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring joy, comfort, and learning to children in need through toys and play. While other organizations provide food, shelter and support services to children and their families, TIF sees to it that these children have toys and opportunities to play in an attempt to restore both fun and a sense of normalcy to their lives. The Foundation currently fulfills its mission through core programs including The Toy Bank, public education initiatives, and grants to organizations whose missions are in line with that of the Toy Industry Foundation. For more information, visit www.toyindustryfoundation.org.

About My Stuff Bags Foundation
My Stuff Bags was launched in 1998 to address some of the immediate physical and emotional needs of children who must be rescued from abuse, neglect and abandonment. Traumatized by the events leading to their rescue, these children often enter shelters and foster care with no belongings. Each individual My Stuff duffel bag is filled with new donated items, giving children comfort and hope and letting them know that lots of people care about them. To date, the nonprofit has donated more than 330,000 bags to children in over 1,100 organizations in 49 states. For more information on My Stuff Bags visit www.mystuffbags.org.