School social workers Denise Pope, left, and Adrianne Bowden, right, start an assembly line to make shop reorganization swifter. 

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Children’s Cheer and Toy Shop served 1,828 children with new and used toys in 2019. During the first workday of the year, staff began looking at its needs for the upcoming year. 

Colquitt County’s social workers, the shop’s staff, joined at the shop Wednesday starting at 8 a.m. Shop Director and Sunset Elementary School social worker Angie Kling said it’s initially a look at what’s left.

“It’s also going to be about reorganizing the toys that were donated for the toy drive, cleaning out the used toy area and then starting over because we have gotten some used toys too,” she said.

It’s an early look at what they’ll be bagging and fixing up for distribution day this year. Kling said she was happy to see many kids served, but that happiness is a double-edged sword.

“It’s a great feeling to know that we were able to help that many children, but it’s also really sad when you think about there’re that many families that truly needed help,” she said. “We still have a lot to do economically in Colquitt County to support our families [and] to help them through difficulties because it trickles down.”

And by trickle down, she means that what’s happening at home can affect the children and their school life. If the shop can give these toys to lessen a family’s burden, then it shall be done.

Kling already ordered new toys toward the tail-end of 2019, but the shop’s staff need the workday to take inventory of the age and gender groups needed. As always, the shop is looking for donations of toys for ages 9-12. Those are the costliest toys needed.

“Anything we can get that helps to decrease what we have to get for that age group,” Kling said.

Parents and guardians cleaning out their children’s closets can bring used toys. Like before, Kling asks that donors bringing used toys clean them and put in new batteries; however, volunteers can do that in the shop’s used toy room. 

Besides toy donations, the shop funds itself through monetary donations and fundraisers year-round. The first of this year’s fundraisers will be the second annual Clays for Kids on March 14 at Bridge Creek Clays located at 3760 Dunn Rd.

Kling uses the money to purchase new toys in bulk through online distributors. These items are then divided by gender and age, and bagged together, each bag being worth $17-20.

These donations can be made to the shop, located at 589 Industrial Drive, Brainstorm Marketing, located at 911 First St. S.E., or to any of the social workers across Colquitt County. 

The next workday will be on Feb. 12, but the Children’s Cheer and Toy Shop will have one workday a month annually. So far, March 13 and Apr. 1 are the other planned workdays. 

Donations can be made year-round. Those wanting to volunteer in the workdays must reach out ahead of time to Kling at Sunset Elementary School via her email, akling@colquitt.k12.ga.us, or the school phone number 229-890-6184.