Donate to Foster Kids for the Holidays & Holiday Fun for the Whole Family

Fill Santa’s Sleigh Toy Drive Events

Our holiday wish is that all of the 15,000+ children in Arizona and tribal foster care systems get to feel the joy and magic of the holidays this year. To help make this dream come true The Foster Alliance is collaborating with Desert Farm Lights, The Pratt Brother’s Christmas at Rawhide, M3F, and the Scottsdale Quarter to host 4 nights filled with holiday cheer and the spirit of giving back for the holidays.

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West Valley, in partnership with  Desert Farm Lights  | Light Maze, Smores, Santa, 90 ft Slides & so much more!

November 28th & 29th | 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

All Donors and Foster Children will receive $3.50 off their admission on these nights. Donate now and receive the coupon code in a thank you email OR bring a gift to the event to receive your code.

To LEARN MORE and BUY your tickets, click here.

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Chandler, in partnership with The Pratt Brother’s Christmas at Rawhide | Premier Light Show with over 6 million lights, Magical train ride, Parade & so much more!

November 30th | 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

All Donors and Foster Children will receive 70% off their admission until December 24th. Donate now and receive a coupon code in a thank you email OR bring a gift to the event to receive your code.

To LEARN MORE and BUY your tickets click here.

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Scottsdale, in partnership with M3F Music Festival at Scottsdale Quarter |

December 8th | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Free night of festive music with Arizona’s very own, Jay Allen, hot chocolate, your child’s favorite characters, and fun for the whole family! Bring a holiday gift for a child in foster care, or donate now.

Let us know you are coming: RSVP HERE

We cannot wait to see you there!

**Each event will have stay-and-play and drop-off-only options.**

The Foster Alliance Drop-Off Location

Can’t join us for the events? The Foster Alliance Foster Care Resource Center is ready for you to drop off your new toys, gifts, and books at our Phoenix location at 3110 E Thunderbird Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032. Come by Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM weekly – no appointment necessary.

Find a Drop off Location Near You

Many partner locations across the state are ready and excited to serve as drop-off locations for your donations.

Check out this map to find a drop-off location near you!

Would you like to provide your business as a drop-off location for new toys and gifts for foster kids? Reach out to the development team via email at development@thefosteralliance.org.

Spread The Joy By Donating Toys At Our Holiday Toy Drive

The Holiday Joy Drive at The Foster Alliance, formally The Foster Alliance

“Without the people who cared about me, I didn’t care about myself.” – Former Foster Child 

The 25th annual Holiday Joy Drive at The Foster Alliance, formerly The Foster Alliance, is our chance to make the holidays bright for the 15,000 + children experiencing foster care in Arizona. We invite you to join our community so we can show every single one of them that they matter, they are special, and we won’t let them forget.  

One of the best ways to fill this holiday season with joy is to host a toy drive with your friends, family or at your place of work. Check out the complete guide below. It has everything you need to get started right away.  

Use the link below to let us know you are joining the team TODAY!

Hosting a Holiday Toy Drive is Easy

The team at The Foster Alliance works to make launching and running your drive to donate toys and books to children easy. 

Downloadable Resources for Your Arizona Children’s Toy Drive

Let us do the writing, creating social media posts, and designing flyers for you. 

Click here to download resources to make getting the word out simple and fast. You will find printable flyers and wishlists and shareable images perfect for social media. Keep checking back, we will add videos and more ideas throughout the Holiday Joy Drive. 

Where to Pick Up Flyers and Drive Boxes

We have printed flyers, posters, and wish lists ready for you to pick up at our Phoenix location at 3110 E Thunderbird Rd #100, Phoenix, AZ 85032. We also have free drive boxes prepared with The Foster Alliance Holiday Joy Drive decals, which include QR codes. Come by Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM weekly – no appointment necessary. 

Not local to the Greater Phoenix Area? No problem. We are supporting foster children all over the state. Reach out to the development team to help you organize a drive in your neighborhood.  development@thefosteralliance.org

What Toys To Collect & Donate

Through the 25th annual holiday toy drive at The Foster Alliance, we join together to collect brand new toys, books and gifts for children and youth in foster care ages 0-21. Every child is unique, so we put together a list of the most requested gifts by the children we serve. 

Click here to download resources to make hosting your drive easy!

Where to Drop Off Your Donations of Toys, Gifts and Books

We intentionally chose the word “Alliance” to be in our name as a promise to bring the community together so we can make the biggest difference for the foster children of Arizona and beyond. This year we have so many #fosterallies ready to help. 

The Foster Alliance Drop Off Location

The Foster Alliance Foster Care Resource Center is ready for you to drop off your new toys, gifts, and books at our Phoenix location at 3110 E Thunderbird Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032. Come by Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM weekly – no appointment necessary. 

Find a Drop off Location Near You 

Many partner locations across the state are ready and excited to serve as drop off locations for your toy drive. 

Check out this map to find a drop-off location near you! 

Would you like to provide your business as a drop-off location for new toys and gifts for foster kids? Reach out to the development team via email at development@thefosteralliance.org. 

Fill Santa’s Sleigh Toy Drive Events 

This year we are not only having a huge festival at our Phoenix Campus for foster families and advocates to pick up toys to celebrate the children in their care, but we are also holding three very special Holiday Joy Express deliveries in Flagstaff, Apache Junction and Tucson. Our hope is to ensure that each child has those special gifts, no matter where in our great state they rest their heads. To reach our goals we are collaborating with Desert Farm Lights, The Pratt Brother’s Christmas at Rawhide, M3F, and the Scottsdale Quarter to host 4 nights filled with holiday cheer and the spirit of giving back for the holidays. 

West Valley |  in partnership with  Desert Farm Lights  | November 28th & 29th 

All Donors and Foster Children will receive $3.50 off their admission on these nights. 

Chandler | in partnership with The Pratt Brother’s Christmas at Rawhide | November 30th 

All Donors and Foster Children will receive 70% off their admission until December 24th.

Scottsdale | in partnership with M3F Music Festival at Scottsdale Quarter | December 8th 

Free night of festive music and fun for the whole team and the Foster Community. 

More details about each of these events coming soon! 

**Each event will have stay-and-play and drop off only options.** 

4 Tips & Tricks to Have the Best Holiday Toy Drive Ever 

The Russ Lyon Sotheby’s team of realtors has proven to be one of the most successful toy drive partners in Arizona. Recently, the leaders of the Russ Lyon Foundation team sat down with our very own, Bethany Eggleston, VP of Development & Marketing and Matt Lipan, VP of Operations & Engagement, to share their keys to success.  

1. Set a Goal

“Reach high for stars are hidden in you.” – Rabindranath Tagore

When you and your team set a goal of how many toys you want to donate together and share why your goal is important, you inspire the people in your community to join forces with you to reach your goal. When we reach for the stars, we can help children in foster care change their stars.  

2. Create a Competition 

Hosting a holiday toy drive is fun. Crank up the cheer by also creating a game to see who can donate the most toys, books, or even gift cards. Create teams among employees, departments, offices, clubs and social groups. The winning team gets a festive prize or bragging rights. Have all of the fun so foster kids can too!  

3. Invite Your Partners to Participate 

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” – Michael Jordan

The most successful companies and organizations have many strong partnerships. Invite your business partners, vendors, companies who share your building, or even sister/brother clubs to join your holiday toy drive. Your partners are already on your side, they will be happy to support you as you work to make the holidays bright for children in foster care. 

4. Over Communicate 

The number one reason why a person donates is because you asked! 

People are busy, and the holidays can be even busier. Many think that sending reminders often will be annoying to your colleagues, friends and family, yet often they are thankful for the reminder. The team at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s recommends getting the word out once to twice a week during your toy drive.  

Click here to download resources to make hosting your drive easy! 

Questions? Contact the development team: development@thefosteralliance.org | 480-889-0604

Foster Care Birthdays

Sadly, too many children in foster care have never experienced the joy of a birthday celebration. 

These foster children have never had anyone sing “Happy Birthday” to them. They’ve never had gifts to open or candles to blow out on a birthday cake. These children might not even understand what a birthday is—that there’s a special day every year to be celebrated in their honor.

All foster children should receive the joy, self-esteem growth, and beautiful memories that a birthday celebration provides.

Helping Foster Children Celebrate Their Birthday

We create personalized birthday packages for children in foster care. You can help us make an impact from the comfort of your home or by volunteering with us.

Help Celebrate Foster Care Birthdays From Home

Want to help foster care children celebrate their birthdays? There are three ways you can help from wherever you are located.

• Decorate Birthday Dream Bags: We craft Birthday Dream Bags for foster children that include three gifts and a book. You can help us decorate these bags so they’ll dazzle the foster children that we give them to.
• Create Birthday Cards: Help us make fun, personalized birthday cards that we can include in the Birthday Dream Bags.
• Create a Birthday Party in a Bag: As part of our Birthday Dreams package, we include a “Birthday Party in a Bag” that has all the supplies needed to celebrate a birthday. You can help us create these.

Learn more about how you can participate in one of these at-home service projects.

Volunteer to Celebrate Foster Care Birthdays

We’re always in need of volunteers to help us with our Birthday Dreams Program. Volunteer roles include:

• Fill Birthday Requests
• Decorate Birthday Dreams Bags
• Create Birthday Cards

Volunteers play an integral role in creating amazing birthday memories for children in foster care. Just a small amount of your time can make a world of difference in the life of a child. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities at The Foster Alliance.

Foster Care Gift Donation Ideas

• Toys
• Books (children and teens)
• Arts and Crafts Supplies (painting kit, coloring book, bracelet-making supplies, etc.)
• Board Games
• Sports Items (football, soccer ball, mini basketball hoop, etc.)
• Gifts for Teen Girls (makeup kit, notebook/journal, bath and body kits, headphones/earpods, jewelry, etc.)
• Gifts for Teen Boys (shaving kit, hair styling gel, notebook/journal, headphones/earpods, water bottles)
• Gift Cards for Teens (teen clothing stores, electronics stores, etc.)

Even a single birthday donation for our foster care children is helpful to us!

Birthday Party Donation Ideas

Our Birthday Party in a Bag is an integral part of our Birthday Dreams gift packages. These bags include a full set of party supplies with everything needed for a foster care birthday celebration.

Here are our most needed items:

• Birthday Bags
• Boxed Cake Mixes
• Cake Frosting
• Cake Pans
• Birthday Candles
• Streamers
• Balloons
• Paper Birthday Hats
• Party Horn

How to Donate for Foster Care Birthdays

There are several different ways you can donate to a foster care birthday, including:

• Shopping Our Wishlist
• Sponsoring a Collection Drive
• Dropping Off Birthday Gift Donations
• Making a Monetary Donation

You can help us no matter how much free time you have available.

Shop our Wishlist

Having trouble coming up with birthday party donation ideas? Shop our wishlist online. We’ve curated a variety of wishlists that are perfect for our Birthday Dreams packages.

Sponsoring a Collection Drive

Sponsor a collection drive at a location near you. Gift collection drives can be a great way to gather a large volume and variety of birthday gifts for our packages by tapping into your community.

Dropping Off Birthday Gift Donations

We’re grateful for your donation! You can drop off donations at our facility:

3110 E. Thunderbird Rd. Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85032

We’re open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm.

Please drive to the back of the building to the last garage door (Northeast corner). We’ll have a staff member there to accept your donation!

Make a Donation

We’re extremely appreciative of monetary donations! Your one-time or monthly donation helps us create wonderful birthday packages for foster care children. Learn how to donate to The Foster Alliance.

Birthday Dreams Request

Need help celebrating a birthday for a foster care child? Fill out a birthday request form.  We also offer other resources for foster families.

Top 3 Things To Donate To Foster Care Near You

• The Foster Alliance relies heavily on our community, including donors, volunteers, and corporate and community partners to ensure that children in foster care have what they need to thrive. The generosity and kindness of our donors allows us to lend our Helping Hands to provide essential necessities to children and families when they need it most. There are many different ways to help brighten the lives of foster children including donating. Donations can take many forms and every single donation, whether it is a financial donation, or you are donating goods, helps to enrich the lives of children and set them up for success.

How To Donate To Foster Care

We will not rest until all foster children across the state of Arizona have what they need to feel safe, supported, and loved. There are various ways you can donate to make a difference. Together we provide vital necessities for children in foster care in Arizona. Whether you are interested in donating financially or donating goods, donations are greatly appreciated.

Donating Financially to Foster Care

By making financial donations to The Foster Alliance, you can make a difference in the lives of children in foster care. You can make an even more impactful, lasting difference with a monthly donation by setting up monthly payments. It’s easy! Any Arizona taxpayer can take advantage of the tax credit as well to receive at least a portion of your monetary donation back in your tax refund. At The Foster Alliance, we believe that transparency is vital to our organization and our donors. Of every dollar donated, 93% goes to programs that promote safety, permanency, and health. These donations allow us to provide children with basic needs such as beds, hygiene kits, clothes, birthday dreams, and so much more!

Donating Goods To Foster Care

If you are unable to donate financially or are simply interested in other ways to donate to support children in foster care, you can do so by donating goods. At The Foster Alliance, we accept a wide variety of different donations that help foster children feel comfortable and see a positive future for themselves.

What To Donate To Foster Children

If you are interested in donating physical goods to foster children, we have see the list below for ideas. We also have created a wish list containing our greatest needs. If you are not able to drop off donations at our resource center, the wish list allows items to be sent directly to our warehouse. Every item our community generously donates brings Hope to a Child in Foster Care.

Clothing

Clothing donations are incredibly crucial for foster children as many of them leave home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. We accept new clothing items in sizes and styles fitting for children ages 0-21.

“Our 9-year old foster daughter said ‘I have seen pajamas like this in stores and had dreamed about getting them one day.’” – TFA Foster Parent Possible clothing donations include:

• Shirts
• Bottoms
• Dresses
• Jackets
• Socks
• Shoes
• Pajamas
• Accessories

Hygiene Items

Having access to essential hygiene products is something that many foster children rely on The Foster Alliance to assist with. Owning proper hygienic supplies allows individuals to feel more comfortable and confident knowing that they are taking care of themselves. A foster parent shared with us recently, “TFA has made a huge impact on our family! The clothing, diapers, and hygiene items provided make sure our foster child has what she needs so she can focus on being a kid.” Donations from our amazing community makes this possible. Helpful items include:

Dental Hygiene

• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Dental floss
• Mouthwash

Menstrual Hygiene

• Pads
• Tampons

Hair Care & Bathing Items

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body wash
• Face soap
• 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner & body wash
• Hairbrush
• Comb
• Hair ties
• Deodorant

Birthday Party Supplies

Many children in foster care have never had the opportunity to have a birthday celebration. At The Foster Alliance, we want to celebrate children and help them feel valued on such an important day. We provide birthday gifts that are wrapped and decorated with love by our volunteers. Alongside an awesome birthday present, our foster children receive a Birthday-Party-in-a-Bag filled with everything they need to have the best party ever. Possible donations include:

• Birthday gift bag
• Boxed cake mix
• Cake frosting
• Aluminum cake pan
• Birthday candles
• Party decorations & favors (ie.balloons, streamers, party hats, or kazoos)

School Supplies

The Foster Alliance has a back-to-school initiative that allows us to provide new backpacks filled with school supplies year-round to children in foster care. who are entering.. Providing school supplies for these children and teens allows students to have the adequate tools to ensure success in the classroom. Useful school supplies include:

• Books
• Pencils
• Notebooks
• Backpacks
• Highlighters
• Pencil Pouch
• Pens
• Calculators
• Folders

How The Foster Alliance Distributes Donations To Foster Care Children

At The Foster Alliance, we utilize community support for our collection drives and in-kind donations. If you would like to sponsor a collection drive, please visit the collection drive page to fill out the form. In-kind donations can be dropped off at our facility located at 3110 E. Thunderbird Rd. Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85032. Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. Please drive around to the back of the building to the last garage door (northeast corner). These donations will be distributed to foster children once their foster parent or caseworker schedules an appointment of the type of service they need (Basic Needs, Birthday Dreams Pick-up, Back to School Supplies Pick-up, Licensing Safety Product Pick-up, Footlocker Pick-up). Thank you for your support!