West Hollywood’s 23rd Annual Holiday Toy and Food Drive Raises $31,000 and Helps 600 Families

West Hollywood, California - The City of West Hollywood and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s 23rd Annual Holiday Toy and Food Drive helped raise $31,000 in November and December, helping brighten the holidays for 600 families in need. The West Hollywood Holiday Toy and Food Drive, which took donations until December 24, 2012, provided families in the West Hollywood community with a holiday meal and two toys for every child in the family. Families were identified through collaboration with area school guidance counselors, teachers and principals.

In addition to monetary donations, the Holiday Toy and Food Drive collected new unwrapped toys, clothing, store coupons and discount cards. From the $31,000 raised,
·       $17,000 went toward purchasing clothing;
·       $11,000 went toward purchasing food certificates; and
·       $3,000 went toward purchasing new toys.

Community groups that were actively involved this year in fundraising, and gathering and giving donations, were the Los Angeles County Fire Stations in West Hollywood; the West Hollywood Dodgeball League, Pacific Hills High School; West Hollywood Elementary School; Whole Foods West Hollywood; Larchmont Charter School; Early Childhood Education School; Scotty B Presents; Mark Mahoney, proprietor and premier artist of the Shamrock Social Club; Kristen Daie, Executive Director of Petit Ermitage; and the Fuserna Foundation.

For more information, please call Bonnie Smith or Kristin Cook in the City’s Public Safety Division at (323) 848-6371. For the deaf and hard of hearing, please call (323) 848-6496.