Park Slopers Can Still Donate Christmas Gifts to Kids in Need at These Neighborhood Spots

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — If you're looking for ways to give back to children in need this holiday season, several local organizations are running toy drives that are still accepting donations.

The Park Slope Civic Council is running a Toys for Tots drive with numerous area drop-off locations. Here's a list of the stores where you can donate toys during business hours, as compiled by the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID:

• The Prospect Park YMCA (9th Street between 6th and 7th)
• The office of Assemblyman James Brennan (416 7th Ave.)
• Back to the Land (142 7th Ave.)
• Corcoran (at the corner of Carroll Street and 7th Avenue)
• Community Book Store (143 7th Ave.)
• Little Things I & II (145 7th Ave.)
• Charles Schwab (100 7th Ave.)
• The Old Stone House (336 3rd St.)
• P.S. 39 (417 6th Ave.)
• New Millennium R.E. Brokers, LLC (443 4th St.)
• Astoria Federal Savings (110 7th Ave.)
• Citibank (114 7th Ave.)
• Scottadito Osteria Toscana Restaurant (778 Union St.)
• And, for donations made after Dec. 18, Goldy + Mac (396 7th Ave.)

There's also a toy drive being run by Little Essentials, a Brooklyn non-profit that helps to meet the needs of low-income moms and their children around the borough.

Elissa Young, the organization's director, said the group has partnered with Park Slope Parents and Good Neighbors of Park Slope to make this year's drive happen.

The groups are running their drive through through Friday, Dec. 16, and are aiming to collect 400 toys that will be distributed to children around Brooklyn. Little Essentials is looking for toys for kids aged 0 to 10, and is especially interested in gifts like art supplies, arts and crafts, jewelry making kits, educational baby toys, Legos, building blocks, and Huggles dolls. The drive cannot accept stuffed animals, large toys, or ride-on toys (like bikes or scooters).

Here's a list of places where you can drop toys off during business hours, again courtesy of the Fifth Avenue BID:

• Goldy & Mac (same as above)
• Gymboree (365 4th Ave.)
• Investors Bank (314 7th Ave.)
• NY Kids Club (125 5th Ave.)
• Nunu Chocolates (179 5th Ave.)
• South Slope Pediatrics (501 5th Ave.)
• Windsor World of Shoes (484 5th Ave.)
• Windsor Shoes Too (227 Prospect Park West)
• Shipwrecked Miniature Golf (621 Court St.)

And here's one more, if you're overwhelmed by the season's spirit: the Park Slope Performing Arts Center is running its own toy drive to benefit children aged 12 and under at the St. Barnabas Hospital pediatric ward.

You can drop toys off at the Center's studio, located at 135 Windsor Pl., on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Thursday, Dec. 15 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Top photo courtesy of Craig D on Flickr