Palm Springs Fire Department Holds Holiday Toy Drive for Local Youth

The Palm Springs Fire Department is collecting toys and gift cards on Wednesday for children served by the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs, with 15 days remaining until Christmas.

Firefighters will accept donations from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Fire Station 2, located at 300 North El Cielo Road near Palm Springs International Airport. The drive-through event allows donors to drop off unwrapped toys without leaving their vehicles.

The department is requesting new toys for younger children and gift cards for teenagers. Organizers emphasized the need for teen donations, noting that older youth are often overlooked during holiday toy drives.

"A lot of times when we do these toy drives, they're gifts for elementary school kids, but we don't want to forget about the teens and the preteens," said Margaret Keung, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs. "Sometimes that $5 gift card to a local food chain means so much to them. Food insecurity is an issue, believe it or not, within our community, and especially with the teens, they get forgotten sometimes."

The annual event, a collaboration between the Palm Springs Fire Department, the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs, and the Palm Springs Fire Foundation, has run for over a decade.

Keung said the donations provide more than material gifts. "It really boosts their mental health, their feeling of inclusion and the fact that the community is here to care for them and to love them," she said.

All donated items will be delivered directly to the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs.