The Entertainer launch The Big Toy Appeal with Salvation Army
Toy retailer, the Entertainer, has joined forces with The Salvation Army to give as many children as possible the joy of opening a present on Christmas day.
The Big Toy Appeal encourages customers to pick up an extra toy to donate when they visit The Entertainer stores or shop online at TheToyShop.com. For every toy donated, The Entertainer will also donate a toy, doubling the number of donations. Online shoppers will be able to join the appeal by adding a gift to their basket.
The Entertainer’s customers have donated over 60,000 toys since the appeal first launched in 2018. This year the appeal aims to reach 100,000 total toys donated.
Providing Christmas presents for children can place additional pressure on families, where budgets are already incredibly stretched – with many families turning to charities like The Salvation Army for support; using foodbanks and other donations to help them through the Christmas period.
Covid-19 has had a huge financial impact on many of the country’s families, with The Salvation Army providing more than two million meals* to people struggling to afford food in the year to May 2021. The aim of The Big Toy Appeal is to elevate some of this strain during the 2021 Christmas period by providing toys to families in need, so children can have some presents to open on Christmas.
Tony Daniels, Director of Community Services for The Salvation Army, said: “Too many children in the UK would be without any presents at all at Christmas if it wasn’t for the generosity of people donating to The Big Toy appeal. The last two years have been incredibly difficult for many families, who struggle to afford Christmas due to pressure on family budgets, especially at the moment, and it is fantastic for us to be able to join up with the Entertainer and spread some festive joy.”
Gary Grant, Founder and Executive Chairman at The Entertainer said: “At The Entertainer we believe that childhood is a right not a privilege. We are so grateful for the generosity of our customers. Each year, our Big Toy Appeal supports an ever-increasing number of families, with over 60,000 toys donated so far. The financial difficulties the country has faced in the last 2 years will mean overwhelming difficulties for families trying to give their children a joyful and magical Christmas. Every child deserves to know they are special and the Big Toy Appeal is an opportunity for us to work together to help families celebrate the wonder of Christmas.”
*This figure relates to food distributed from the 22 Salvation Army food hubs to local churches (corps) and centres since the food hubs launched in May 2020.
