From its start as a student-led effort in 1986, Seton Hall’s toy drive has grown into a beloved Christmas tradition. Along with the tree lighting ceremony and other annual holiday events, the toy drive fosters a season of joy that made Seton Hall the No. 1 university for Christmas nationwide, according to Best College Reviews. Last year the toy drive, sponsored by the Division of Volunteer Efforts (DOVE), collected more than 500 toys, as well as online donations from more than 100 people. Seton Hall magazine editor Pegeen Hopkins spoke with Michelle Peterson, assistant vice president of service integration, to learn more about the program.
How did the DOVE toy drive start?
Five students on their first mission trip to Appalachia felt a void — they wanted to do more for the people they encountered that summer. So they created a toy drive, working with a sister in West Virginia and developing wish lists for each of the children they met. All these years later, we still serve children from that same West Virginia community, though we now serve a lot of local agencies in New Jersey as well.
What does DOVE’s support to the community look like?
Our online campaign provides for a holiday meal and a clothing refresh for the orphanage in Haiti we serve and support.
More locally, we provide toys for schools in Newark, the Maplewood South Orange School District, the Don Bosco Youth Center and the children served by St. John’s Soup Kitchen. We also fulfill last-minute requests for toys for other families in need.
How does the drive operate?
Starting in mid-November each year, we advertise the annual online fundraising campaign and the toy drop-off collections made throughout the holiday season.
We create toy tags for donors that list the gifts children wish for, showing their age and gender, ranging from trucks and sporting goods to dolls and beauty products. The tags help highlight that we have children from birth through 18 who need Christmas gifts.
Once the drive has ended, DOVE mission director Amanda Cavanagh, several work-study students and I go to the local Walmart in blue Pirate Santa hats to purchase toys for any children we’re missing items for. Additionally, a group of dedicated administrators and staff pool their own donations and host a shopping event for the DOVE Toy Drive, totaling 325 gifts last year.
On University Reading Day, we have a party where students wrap toys for the children in Appalachia. Other toys remain unwrapped, because parents come to several of the local locations to pick out what their children might want.
We then deliver the toys locally and make the drive to Appalachia. Amanda drives the toys to West Virginia. She’s been involved her whole life, really. Her mom, Jeanine, launched the program originally.
How can people support next year’s toy drive or other DOVE projects?
People can donate money through our online campaign. They can also review our Amazon Wish List, donate a gift at one of the in-person events like the tree lighting or Breakfast with Santa, or simply drop off a gift to our office at any time. Each donor who comes to the office gets a blue Santa hat with an embroidered Pirate patch on it, which stands out at the annual tree lighting ceremony. Separately we have a drive in the spring to address food insecurity. And we fundraise for students traveling on our annual mission trip to El Salvador.
Anything else?
Seton Hall’s toy drive showcases our Catholic mission and keeps us focused throughout the season on the spirit of Christmas and the joy of giving.
Pegeen Hopkins
