TOLEDO, Ohio — Lucas County Children Services is currently working with about 1,000 children. Each situation is unique.
Some children are still with their families, while others are in foster care. No matter the scenario, all kids deserve something special of their own.
When children are removed from a situation, they're placed in care elsewhere. LCCS caseworker Erica Saldana said young people often don't have the things they're used to.
"They really struggle with having clothing," Saldana said. "They come with no toys. All of their favorite stuff they had at their home they don't have anymore, so we have to try and recreate and re-find and give them something that is theirs again."
Caseworkers are assigned to each family. They work closely with the parents or guardians as well as with the children. But those children might have had to leave all their toys behind.
"A lot of these families don't have the ability to work when they are fighting this addiction," LCCS caseworker Laura Rubley said. "Because they're not working, a lot of times their families go without."
That's where the toy room at LCCS comes in. All of the toys donated through the Gift of Joy Toy Drive end up there. Then, the caseworkers get to come in and choose the gifts that the kids they serve will enjoy most.
"It's just awesome that the kids can have something to enjoy, something that's theirs," LCCS caseworker Calvin Moss said, "Something that's their own because they come into care without a whole lot."
It's not just the kids who benefit from the toy room either.
"My parents almost always start crying or get really excited when I tell them it's something that we do," Rubley said. "I don't think any of them expect it. It's something that I very much enjoy doing, it's one of my favorite things actually."