One toy in, one toy out: Used toy donations to help kids in need this holiday season

Especially with so many services that help facilitate toy donations, there is nothing more sad to me than seeing a perfectly good plastic toy sitting by the curb on garbage day. And yet, if you're like me, you're not quite sure who to call about the sand table gathering wet leaves in the back yard or the pile of electronic guitars and singing cars your kids accumulate over the years that you might be clearing out, especially with the new gifts coming in for Christmas. Now there's a way to pass your formerly loved plastic toys on to children in need just in time for the holidays. Second Chance Toys was started by a high school student who hated seeing perfectly good toys tossed on garbage day. Now the organization partners with Kohl's and 1-800-Got-Junk to clean and redistribute used plastic toys to children in need. They've found new homes for more than 150,000 toys so far, and if you live near one of their drop-off centers, they can get your toys to kids for the holidays who might not otherwise get  something as special as the thing your own child once loved, but has outgrown. If you don't live near one of their facilities, which are mostly in the northeast, they're happy to help you arrange a drop-off at a local organization, provided you can gather at least fifty toys. They also arrange a toy collection drive in April for Earth Week. To find out more about donating your plastic toys to kids in need, visit the Second Chance Toys website. If you don't have toys but want to make a difference, you can always make a tax deductible donation.