TOYS FOR JOY 2012

The rules of the day for the Toys for Joy celebration were clear: one toy for each of the thousands of children who came to Lincoln High School and neighboring Porter Elementary to celebrate Christmas early. Not everyone got the message, at first.

When one family reached the toy room’s exit with two toys per child, the children were reminded they could keep just one toy a piece. The big brother found a simple and poignant solution. He relinquished both of his toys and claimed one of his little sister’s dolls as his so she could keep them both.

“My favorite part about this event is seeing the whole community come together; from the churches to the schools, from the businesses to the church congregation.”

Such was the spirit of giving among the 10,700 San Diegans who began lining up outside the Southeastern San Diego campus at 6PM Friday, December 7, 2012: 15 hours before the Saturday opening of the annual Toys for Joy celebration. The holiday event was founded 17 years ago by Rock Church Pastor Miles McPherson, four years before the church opened. The idea behind Toys for Joy is simple, but not easy: collect over 10,000 toys, assemble more than 13,000 bags of groceries, gather close to 200,000 articles of clothing, and harness the energy of 2,600 dedicated volunteers the day of the event. And it works beautifully. For many San Diegans, especially the 17 percent living below the poverty level, Toys for Joy means the difference between having a more joyful Christmas or none at all. “My favorite part about this event is seeing the whole community come together; from the churches to the schools, from the businesses to the church congregation,” McPherson said. “It’s a win, win, win for everybody.”

This year's Toys for Joy will be held on Saturday, December 14 from 9AM to 2PM at Lincoln High School. It's an event that families and volunteers alike are truly looking forward to. Be a part of bringing the hope and love of Jesus to those in need! You can help in the following ways:

We look forward to seeing you on December 14! For more information on this year's event, click here. Thank you for participating and we're excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of so many!