On Sunday Long Island Parent spent a couple of hours at the Broadway Mall collecting toys for the Family Service League and Family & Children’s Association. While our collections will help 60 families on Long Island this holiday season, both agencies told me there are about 15,000 families they know of that are in need: families with unemployed and underemployed parents, as well as clientele they have always served. Meanwhile, all toy drives are experiencing decreases in the number of gifts they’re getting.
      My family has weathered unemployment and underemployment, so I know the stresses well. But I also know the emotional lift that comes from getting outside your own stresses and concerns to help someone else in need, perhaps someone in a more serious situation than your own. And it’s a wonderful lesson for your children as well. Every year for as long as they can remember my girls have picked out items for girls their own age, girls they might never meet. They say they feel good about themselves doing so. And they learn the value of giving in ways we don’t always have the time to teach otherwise.
     It doesn’t take much to get an extra gift. There are many sales right now, so you could do a buy-one-for-your-child-give-one-away deal on a small item like a Nerf football or a board game. Teens always get left out of donations, so think of them when you’re at CVS or another store where you can buy toiletries, gift cards and games.
    There’s still time to donate. You can e-mail us to find out about a drop off (publisher@liparentonline.com) or call the agencies directly. The Family Service League in Suffolk is 631-369-0104 and the Family & Children’s Association in Nassau is 516-746-0350.
    There’s also that growing need for food donations, so give as you can there as well.
    And if you need help, please contact the agencies. They’re there to help, and no one is immune these days from an extra helping hand.