Established in 1986
It started by collecting toys for the “Christmas Committee” of Anoka, MN and helped with their distribution. The Christmas Committee’s responsibility was to provide food for those in need during the Holiday. There are countless numbers of volunteers from churches, clubs and individuals that were involved with that task and challenges every year with required paper work, collection of donated food and organization of the actual distribution of gifts and food.
Association members soon realized that the number of gifts items collected were not sufficient to reach all the children of these families. They began raising funds to assist in this area through a variety of fundraisers, such as a golf tournament in the Spring, an annual auction in the fall, and parties, etc. in the various REALTOR® offices.
Each year, Toys For Joy has touched the lives of well over 1000 families with approximately 4000 children. All of these efforts lead to the primary purpose and activity of Toys For Joy, that being the annual Christmas distribution event that takes place at the Anoka Armory at 408 Main Street, Anoka, MN in December. The National Guard generously donates the Armory building for use in a controlled distribution of donations.