MACEDONIA, Ohio — A local non-profit and a fire department teamed up on Saturday to help make the holiday season special for foster children in Northeast Ohio.
The organization By the Dawn’s Early Light A New Day A New Beginning is collecting toys for foster children in Summit, Portage and Geauga counties.
Dawn Scherma of By the Dawn’s Early Light said that there are currently about 16,000 children in Ohio’s foster care system and that number may rise to 20,000 by the end of the year.
Scherma said one of the biggest reasons for the spike in children entering foster care is that more parents are struggling with drug addiction.
“It hurts to see the children there but in the same sense what we do for them, we see the joy in their faces, the smiles,” Scherma said.
The organization is collecting toy donations through Dec. 12.
Donations can be dropped of at the following locations:
- Scoreboards—10333 Northfield Rd. in Northfield
- Northfield Village Fire Station—10271 Northfield Rd. in Northfield
- Northfield Village Moose Lodge 2156—10527 Northfield Rd. in Northfield
- Storybook Yoga—8536 Crow Dr. in Macedonia
- Gionino’s Pizzeria—10755 Ravenna Rd. in Twinsburg
A “Stuff the Squad” donation drive is also being held on Sunday, Dec. 6 at the Walmart in Macedonia from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
