The Toy Bank in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) as of June 30 had already collected 8,828kg of used toys for redistribution this year, compared with 11,265kg for the whole of last year, organizers said on Tuesday last week.
Managed by the city’s Department of Social Welfare and the Taiwan Toy Library Association, the bank is responsible for collecting and finding new homes for old toys.
Donations surge during summers and holidays, organizers said, but before the toys are distributed to communities in need, they are categorized and cleaned.
Photo: Lin Liang-che, Taipei Times
The organization said it prefers toys recommended for children six and under that help with development.
It does not accept stuffed animals, toy guns, knives or electronic toys, Toy Bank section leader Fang Shao-yu (方紹宇) said.
Figurines and robots are donated often, but few groups request them, as they are not the most “functional” toys and are often damaged or have missing pieces, he said, adding that they could only be used as prizes at events or for decoration.
To help volunteers, people can choose items to donate based on the organization’s guidelines and separate similar toys into groups, he said.
Once a month, the Toy Bank invites volunteers to help disassemble toys that are damaged, but cannot be thrown away because of the plastic or batteries they contain.
By helping at these events, one young volunteer is now able to recognize and name circuit boards, motors, springs and screws taken from an electric toy car, organizers said.
Reusable parts are then given to the organization’s “toy doctor” to repair other toys.
In addition to packing and shelving secondhand toys and waiting for groups to pick them up from its logistics center, the Toy Bank also delivers them to rural communities.
It also runs an indoor playground in Banciao, and donated toys that match the playground’s theme of the season might be sent there for children to play with.
One mother who visited the playground with her son said that she appreciated the toy swap at the playground.
“A different toy is a new toy” in the eyes of a child, she said.
Toy Bank accepts donations through mail or in person, or at Toyota service centers nationwide, organizers said.
Groups or communities in need of toys can fill out an application on Toy Bank’s Web site, while members of the public can pick up used toys for free at the organization’s logistics center in Banciao on Sept. 27 and 28.
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