April 28, 2009

Running low on toys

Well we never thought we'd see the day, but our toy supplies for prizes for our after school program have actually started to run low. In part, this is due to being open during the Easter break (we often close for a portion of the break) so the kids really racked up the points! Of course this also means they were actually learning during their vacation, so it's not a bad thing.

We know you all don't have much trouble finding appropriate, small toys for the kiddos here, but we'll give you a few suggestions (if you have kids of your own they can also probably clue you in on desirable items):

Please remember, NO broken toys, NO big toys (no room in crowded homes), NO toys or games that require knowledge of English, and NO toys that need batteries (no money to replace them).

>>We are usually short on gifts/toys for older kids (age 10-14): Ball caps, sunglasses, backpacks, cool notebooks. binders or folders, and kites.

>>For younger kids, both boys and girls like the car sets, stuffed animals (does not matter what kind), jewelry sets, bracelet/necklace/bead making kits, hair accessories kits and sets, any kind of art kit (paint by number/velvet/water-color), dolls, doll clothing, anything Dora the Explorer or Diego the Animal rescuer, kites, soccer balls, pog sets, airplanes, toy car kits, simple puzzles (jigsaw), coloring books, punchy balloon things, any kind of tote bag or backpack.

>>puzzles for younger kids (200 pieces or less) and board games in Spanish (locals and visitors alike enjoy using these items, especially on rainy days! )
We have quite a few 500 piece puzzles, but these are too challenging for the kids. Puzzles with larger pieces, and especially floor puzzles are well-liked.

OTHER ITEMS WE NEED:
>>Cash donations to help us pay our devoted staff and other operating expenses. Please consider giving what you might otherwise spend on toys or other items to donate. Without actual money we can't keep the library open.

>>Interior and exterior paint. We are due for a facelift. We need about 10 gallons of blue exterior paint and 3 gallons each of interior paint in the following colors: yellow, orange and white.

>>A large metal easel to support a dry-erase white board for our language classes.

>>We are still seeking donations of used/recycled heavy wood doors to put on our annex building

>>Volunteers for:
-- repairs, gardening, computer upkeep, etc. We always have odd jobs from the small to the large that need to be done
--working with the kids: teaching, doing arts & crafts, just about anything you'd like to organize to do with the kids at the library

>>Items for our fabulously popular clothing bazaar fund-raisers. We are having bazaars about every other month, so if you're coming down and looking to clean out a few closets, we'd be happy to get your gently used clothes!

Our most popular item is clothing for kids. SMALL adult sizes (small or medium) also sell well. Anything XL or larger is simply too big for the locals who frequent the bazaars.
Other items we sell well:
--anything for infants or youth sizes, or small adult sizes, LIGHT clothing-shorts, t-shirts, shorts, bathing suits, camis, flip-flops, sneakers, b-ball caps, sun hats, umbrellas, any trendy clothes - Old Navy, Circo, Gap... Light SHORT skirts - long ones are too long for locals.

Questions? Email us: akumallibrary@gmail.com