Bar Keepers Friend and the WISH Tree Toy Drive

December 23, 2020

Bar Keepers Friend has participated in the WISH-TV Wish Tree Toy drive for several years. For 30 consecutive years, the WISH Tree toy drive has put smiles on the faces of thousands of children, making their holidays a little brighter. Bar Keepers friend is honored to be a small part of this effort.

Give to Receive  

You can see from the photos that team BKF went all out this year. Our teammates stepped up and contributed hundreds of toys. But here’s the thing. The consensus is we get much more from this than we give. Knowing that we have made a child’s day happier in some small way is all we need to know.

In 2020, it’s Important to Give Back!

This year may be more important than any previous year BKF has participated in the WISH Tree toy drive. Many parents are out of work, others have had their hours cut back, and still, others have left positions to stay home and home school their children.

Who is the IPSF?

“WISH-TV, together with its partners, collects thousands of toys to be distributed by the Indy Public Safety Foundation. The IPSF is a non-profit organization which supports the IMPD, IFD, and IEMS agencies, and distributes toys through several holiday initiatives.” — WISH Tree returns for 30th year

How You Can Help

WISH Tree collects new, unwrapped toys in support of the Public Safety Foundation. If you’d like to join BKF and support the WISH Tree toy drive, it’s easy. There are drop off locations all over, from Indianapolis to Anderson. The best part is that your donations are used not only around Christmas time, but will be used throughout 2021 for kids and families in need.

Or this year, you can stay safe and let IPSF do the shopping! Click here to contribute using IPSF’s secure donation portal. Or you can text the word GIVE to (317) 785-1036.

What Kind of Toys Do They Need?

The short answer is everything. When asked, Dane Nutty, Executive Director of the Indy Public Safety Foundation, said, “Anything and everything. When we look across the city of Indianapolis and the people we serve, we need everything. Toys for boys and girls, all ages, science, art, and more.”

Who gets the Toys? 

“Collected toys will support several programs including Shop with a Cop, Breakfast with Santa, and Clothe-a-Child. Toys will be distributed to all six Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department districts, 44 Indianapolis Fire Department fire stations, and 40+ Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services ambulances in Central Indiana.” — The Indy Public Safety Foundation partners with the WISH Tree toy drive

Giving Beyond the Holidays  

Bar Keepers Friend understands the importance of giving back to the community during the holidays. However, we also know how vital it is to share year round. Here are a few of the charities, which BKF Leadership has supported throughout the year:

• Puppy Jake Foundation
• Iowa Food Bank
• Indiana Karst Conservancy
• Higher Hopes
• Alzheimer’s Foundation
• WISH Tree Holiday Toy Drive (Formerly called Tweet for Toys)
• Wheeler Mission
• And so many more…

It Is Better to Give than Receive

St. Francis of Assisi said, “For it is in giving that we receive.” We here at Bar Keepers Friend think he was right. It is our privilege and honor to help the children of central Indiana in some small way. Merry Christmas and best wishes to you all.

About the Author

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek and on weekends (after COVID-19) he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook: A crash course in effective management.