Pascack Valley’s Environmental Club is making a difference by donating toys.

Dozens of students brought in and organized toys to be sent on Wednesday, Dec. 12, to Second Chance Toys, a non-profit New Jersey based organization.  The organization specializes in donating toys that would otherwise be thrown away or forgotten to local children. The club has partnered with Second Chance Toys since 2011.

Starting during lunch, students gathered in Room 122 and cleaned and tied tags to the toys that were to be donated. Many tags read along the lines of, “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.” Carrying into Pascack Period, the students took these toys and helped transport them into the hands of a representative of the organization.

Senior club member Eric Mathai noted the charitable and practical importance of recycling these toys.

“I can imagine these kids get a lot of enjoyment out of the toys,” Mathai said. “It’s great that we get to donate items that we don’t really use anymore. Instead of them going to a landfill, they go to someone who actually needs a toy or something else to play with.”

A video segment of the club’s toy drive was aired on News12’s television channel and is now on its website.

Any new toys can still be donated to the box in the main lobby of the school. They will be donated to Second Chance Toys in the future.

“[The toy drive] is one of the most anticipated events the Environmental Club does each year,” Ms. Kristen Lindstrom said, a science teacher and an advisor of the club.