Toys for Tots expands nursing home program, seeks donations
Published 6:00 am Tuesday, May 20, 2025
DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ
david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com
The regional not-for-profit organization Toys for Tots this year has greatly expanded its pilot program for nursing home residents and is seeking a wide range of gifts to support older community members on this expanded scale.
The volunteer-driven organization works with nursing home activities directors to determine residents’ needs, said the program’s coordinator, Chesa Montgomery. Toys for Tots teams drop off the gifts from donors at least once a month.
“Chesa is doing a magnificent job, as usual bringing such a program to older adults,” stated Linda Bean, one of several residents at Charter Senior Living who expressed gratitude for the support. “Seniors need encouragement and these items are very special to us.”
The southern Kentucky Toys for Tots brought on Montgomery about three months ago as the coordinator for the nursing home program, which was piloted last year and previously served 18 facilities in Warren County. The organization has expanded this service to 29 nursing homes (to be 30 once the upcoming Bowling Green-based veterans home opens), including ones that specialize in assisted living, memory care and similar areas, across the counties of Allen, Logan, Simpson, Butler, Barren, Adair, Taylor, Edmonson and Hart, she said.
“Working with Chesa and volunteers throughout my time here at Charter has been a special experience,” said Nicole Barker, life enrichment director at Charter Senior Living. “The Toys for Tots program has really impacted our community, our residents at Charter look forward to our monthly care package full of all the things we need.”
The regional Toys for Tots — which reported serving around 31,000 children across 23 counties in 2024, per its coordinator Janel Doyle — is the first among nearly 900 national Toys for Tots organizations nationwide to launch this type of nursing home program, according to Montgomery.
“We are a pivotal starting point for the whole program in the United States,” Montgomery said.
Toys for Tots is seeking a broad range of gifts, which can be donated either by calling Toys for Tots for a pickup (270-438-8488) or dropped off at the organization’s gift headquarters, Metals-N-More.
Arts and craft items are highly sought — think color pencils, adult coloring books and paint — as are toiletries. Manicure items and nice lotions are also in demand.
Snacks are popular, especially for Bingo. Also sought are word search books, baby dolls, puzzles (especially smaller ones, as they’re easier to handle), Bibles, magazines and hard candy.
“Things we take for granted,” Montgomery said.
Veterans make up a substantial fraction of those served, Montgomery added. Particularly suitable donations include pajamas, house shoes, handkerchiefs, Moultrie hats and military books, Montgomery said.
Generosity has fueled the pilot. Donations, which were previously laid across two tables, fill about nine bookshelves, Montgomery said earlier this month.
“I get to help nursing home patients that are in a very vulnerable state of their life, and some have no visitors,” Montgomery said.
Those without visitors are the ones they try to seek out, she added.
“We’re just getting started,” Montgomery said.
