By Khalida Sarwari
The San Mateo Samaritan House faces a shortage of nearly a thousand toys for low-income children and is seeking donations through Christmas Eve.
Samaritan House, a health and human services nonprofit that assists thousands of residents in San Mateo County each year, collects toys every holiday season for children whose families have an income below $20,000.
About 25,000 toys were given away last year despite a significant decrease in donations, public relations coordinator Nancy Carothers said.
“We’ve had 11 percent more requests for holiday assistance this year over last year,” Carothers said.
Samaritan House needs 150 toys for girls up to 2 years old, another 150 toys for boys up to 2 years old, 100 toys for girls 3 to 5 years old, 75 toys for boys 3 to 5 years old, 125 toys for girls 6 to 9 years old, and 250 toys for girls and boys 10 years old and above.
Residents can bring new, unwrapped toys and gifts to the Samaritan House Holiday Toy Shoppe at 1515 S. Claremont St., Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.