Northern Santa Barbara County United Way program distributing more than $300,000 worth of toys to local children

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A community-focused initiative with the United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County is helping to distribute more than $300,000 to Central Coast children.

"We have this program that we call Product Philanthropy," said Eddie Taylor, United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County Chief Executive Officer. "It's a distribution program. In our warehouse, we bring in different products throughout the year for redistribution to families in need. Right now, we've got a warehouse full of Hasbro and Disney toys."

According to United Way, they have acquired a variety of Hasbro toys totaling more than 15,000 items, with a cash value over $210,000.00. They also have more than 6,000 Disney toys with a cash value just under $97,000.

"It's seldom that we get access to toys at this level," said Taylor. "This is a truckload of stuff. This was a blessing.  I tell you, when it came across my email, I jumped on it because obviously, especially this year, people are struggling, and this is a way that we can help through our agency partners who help us identify the people that will receive the product."

The United Way Product Philanthropy Project is nearly 20 years old. Created in 2006, it helps provide community members in need with a variety of needed products.

"In the past, we've brought in truckloads of books for distribution, or mattresses for distribution to help people and the homeless shelters," said Taylor. "There are other times when we just turn our warehouse into a clothing store and do the distribution. Other times of the year we bring in products from Amazon, where we have household goods."

To distribute the items into the hands of those in need, United Way collaborates with about 40 other local non-profit organizations throughout the Central Coast.

We work with agencies throughout the region, in San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County," said Taylor. "We partner with a lot of agencies who identify the families that will receive the product, so they have to be vetted to qualify as low or moderate income, to receive the products, and our agency partners help us identify those families."

Taylor pointed out there is a significant need for the Product Philanthropy Project within the Santa Maria Valley and surrounding areas.

"Everybody knows things are a little bit tough right now, right," said Taylor. "Rents are up. Food is up. Everything is up, so this is a way that we can help families with gifts, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts. There's no charge to the families and we know the need is there. We look at the data in our real cost to measure what we do through the United Way's here in California. That shows us that more than 50% of the families here in our region live below that real cost measure. You look at the poverty rate. It's hovers around 20%-to-22%, but when you really look at the cost of living here, what we look at is 50% or more of the families that are just squeaking by."

On Monday, the Boys & Girls Club of Mid Central Coast benefitted from the program. The organization was able to pick up a full pallet of toys from the United Way warehouse, which will soon be given out to local kids.

"We were thrilled when we got the call that United Way had all of these toys," said Kelly White O'Neill, Boys & Girls Club of Mid Central Coast Director of Marketing and Donor Communications. "Our kids are going to be so excited. our primary goal is we're going to use them for our Club Bucks program. And so kids earn, club bucks for doing good deeds, helping pick up trash, being kind to each other, saying kind words.  And so when we have prizes, at the end of every week, they can use their club bucks to buy, cool toys, so we couldn't be happier."

White O'Neill added the amount of toys given to the Boys & Girls Club was around 400 items, including Star Wars action figures and Marvel characters.

"We're very much about kind of old school values and we want kids to play," said White O'Neill "We want kids to interact. Not everything is on a computer. Not everything is on a screen, so these are actual tactile toys, where they can do imaginary play, they can play with each other with toys, and those are important skills. We advocate for that all the time."

United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County recently moved its operations into a new facility, which the organization said would allow it to expand its outreach and provide added assistance to families throughout the Central Coast.

"This program is just a feel-good," said Taylor. "We can help so many families in so many different ways and really grateful to have the opportunity. It's a special program."

For more information about the United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County, click here to visit the organization's official website.