Girl Scout Lindsay Chan pictured with the 51 backpacks she was inspired to sew for CHO wheelchair-bound patients after reviewing our "Items We Always Need" list.
After dropping them off at the Pediatric Rehabilitation unit she offered her pattern to inspire others. Thanks, Lindsay.
Go here to see Lindsay's pattern instructions.
IN-KIND DONATIONS
Your donations of toys and supplies help supplement the activities and entertainment we provide the patients of Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland. While our patients range in age from newborns to teens, we especially need items for teens and babies.
Below you will find information on:
- How To Schedule Your Donation Delivery
- Holiday Donations
- Items We Cannot Accept
- Things We Always Need
- Unusual Items We Especially Appreciate
Thank you for thinking of the patients at Children's Hospital.
Scheduling Donation Deliveries
- Please call the Volunteer Office at (510) 428-3471, Ext. 2 to schedule your donation delivery in advance.
- Please be prepared to carry your donations to our sorting area. We'll provide a cart and will escort you.
- All donations must be brand new and in their original packaging or with the original tags on.
- Donations may be delivered weekdays only from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Donations received during the week of December 1 will be ready in time for hospital holiday parties.
- The last day for holiday deliveries is Monday, December 22.
- Please leave toys unwrapped and in their original packaging.
Items We Do Not Accept
We do not accept or distribute the following items:
| Food or Candy |
| Latex Balloons |
| Books & Toys With Violent Themes |
| Clothing | (except brand new: | Sweatpants, T-shirts, Underwear) |
Items We Always Need
(Items in blue are high-volume requests.)
- Art and craft supplies:
- Popsicle sticks, felt, foam balls, googly eyes, colored pipe cleaners, colorful feathers, glitter, glitter glue, colored pencils, children's safety scissors, colorful tissue paper, bleached muslin by the yard, ZIG permanent markers, fabric paint or dye, and origami paper.
- New White Cotton T-shirts: all sizes, for children and adults
- New Picture Frames: suitable for decorating projects or displaying children's artwork (Frames with plexi inserts only; no glass please.)
- Baby items: plastic rattles, teething devices, wrist rattles, cloth books
- Balls: baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, gym balls all sizes
- Beading Kits
- Beanie Babies
- Bionicles
- Books: new or gently used, especially picture books
- Character Toys: such as Dora, Spiderman, Sesame Street
- Children's Books in Spanish
- Coloring Books: especially Dover brand coloring books
- Crayons & Colored Pencils
- Crib Mobiles & Crib Activity Boxes
- Crossword Puzzle Books: for both kids and parents
- Dolls: especially African-American, Asian and Hispanic dolls and Barbies
- Games: such as Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, Battleship, Chutes and Ladders, Yahtzee, Life, chess, checkers, Boggle, Trouble, Connect Four and memory games
- Hair Supplies: combs, barrettes and scrunchies
- Hand-held Games
- Hot Wheels Toys, Small Cars & Trucks
- Infant and Toddler Toys: such as those made by Fisher-Price and Playskool, stacking rings and blocks
- Journals, Blank Books, Notebooks
- Mad Libs
- Magazines: for all ages, including magazines in Spanish
- Magic Markers and gel pens
- Mini Needlepoint Kits
- Model Car Kits
- Mylar Balloons (not inflated), Balloon Weights & Curling Ribbon: Balloons are used for birthdays and special events and should have positive kid-friendly messages for boys and girls ages 0-teens. (Get Well, Happy Birthday/Feliz Cumpleanos, Smiley Face, You're #1, You're Special, To Cheer You, etc., and characters such as Spiderman, Dora, Disney characters, butterflies, fish, are also popular.)
- Play Dough and Silly Putty
- Playing Cards: including UNO, Old Maid, Crazy Eights
- Portable CD Players: with headphone and batteries
- Puzzles
- Rattles
- Safety Scissors
- Scrapbook Supplies
- Spanish Language Books, Magazines & Games
- Stationary Sets
- Stickers
- Teddy Bears & Stuffed Animals: in small sizes, ten inches and under, please
Unusual Items We Appreciate Getting
- Electric Toothbrushes: (Craniofacial Department)
- Gift Certificates: Safeway or Albertson’s grocery stores, or Target stores
- Knitting Yarn & Knitting Needles: all sizes (Family Resource & Information Center)
- Crochet Hooks: (Family Resource & Information Center)
- Magazine Subscriptions: People, People en Espanol, Readers Digest in Espanol, Jet, Teen People, Teen Vogue, Teen Voices, American Girl Magazine, Oprah (Family Resource & Information Center)
- Infant Socks: (Intensive Care Nursery)
- Measuring Cups:
(Endocrinology Department)
- Sweatpants, T-shirts, Underwear: all clothing items must be new and unused. (Emergency Department)
- Telephone Cards: for long-distance phone calls
- Travel-size Shampoo, Deodorant, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, & Shaving Items: for parents
Projects That Benefit The Children
Looking for an activity? Here are some ideas!
Travel Packs: Assemble comforting travel packs for parents, with travel-size shampoo, lotion, deodorant, combs, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and shaving items.
Cards: Create positive message cards for patient meal trays. Please make messages positive and general ("Thinking of you!", "Have a great day!") so they can be given to a child of any age, gender, or religion. Please do not use glitter or glitter glue, beads, googley eyes or glue-on craft items which might fall off and become ingested or become lodged in equipment.
Activity Bags: Create individual activity packets for various ages by packing re-sealable plastic bags with crayons, cards, stickers and things to do.
Booties: Knit or crochet baby booties (including preemie size).
Favors: Make tray favors or origami for patient meal trays.
Fundraisers: Organize a book or new toy drive, or hold a fundraiser.
Sew: Sew a quilt or wheelchair backpack. Please use only new, not used fabric.
Again, thank you for thinking of the patients at Children's Hospital.
For more information about making a Family House donation call: (510) 428-3100
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