Norwescap’s Winter Wonderland Needs 1,200 Toys for 300 Families This Holiday Season

Norwescap’s Winter Wonderland holiday gift program filled up just one week after applications opened, and now the nonprofit needs help filling the shelves. Nearly 300 local families, representing about 600 children, are counting on Winter Wonderland this holiday season, and Norwescap says it needs at least 1,200 new toys and gifts so every child can receive two.

Winter Wonderland serves families across Warren County, right next door to Sussex County. Norwescap is the community action agency for northwest New Jersey, and its programs reach families in Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties. Businesses, schools and community groups here in the Skylands are being asked to pitch in.

Last year Norwescap changed the way it hands out holiday gifts. Instead of filling wish lists, the agency created a Winter Wonderland shopping experience where parents and caregivers come to a market and choose, at no cost, the gifts their children will love most. Laura Jennings Pitt, who leads community engagement and fundraising for Norwescap, shared that this year the agency has committed to providing gifts for 300 families and is actively looking for local businesses to host toy drives.

“The families are signed up. Now, we need to fill the shelves!” Norwescap posted this week, noting that only six donors had registered to give so far and that more families are already on a waiting list. Nothing goes to waste: any leftover toys will be offered to waitlisted families.

Donations should be new and unwrapped. Popular items include clothing and cold-weather gear, arts and crafts, LEGO and building sets, STEM toys, dolls and stuffed animals, books and board games, sports gear, room decor and gifts for teenagers, who are often the hardest to shop for. Gift cards are welcome too.

Organizations, businesses, schools, congregations and neighborhoods can host their own toy drive. Collections should wrap up by Sunday, December 6, 2026, and donors are asked to register first through the Norwescap Winter Wonderland page so the agency knows what to expect.

Donation Drop-Off Week runs Monday, December 7 through Friday, December 11, 2026, at the Norwescap Food Bank, 201 Broad Street, Phillipsburg. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. No appointment is needed. Families then shop during Distribution Week, Monday, December 14 through Friday, December 18, 2026.

Volunteers are also needed to collect and organize donations and to help during Winter Wonderland week. You can pick a shift through Norwescap’s volunteer sign-up. Questions about donating, hosting a drive or volunteering go to Ashley Neal at (908) 454-7000, ext. 4907.

Looking for more ways to give back closer to home this season? The free Hudson Farm Charity Hike for Hopatcong returns on Saturday, October 17, 2026, and the costume sale in Hardyston benefits local dancers.

Photo: Norwescap