Little Smiles’ annual holiday toy drive returns this year at Jupiter High starting Nov. 15 and ending Dec. 22 to help children dealing with homelessness, serious illness, or other tragedies. Toys can be delivered to toy boxes in classrooms 4-110, 6-215 and   4-206.

The Little Smiles club is a much larger organization that spans four states across the country in Fla., PA, N.Y., and N.C.

“Little Smiles helps heal hearts and create little smiles by providing gifts and fun activities to children impacted by serious illness, homelessness, or tragedy,” Little Smiles said on their website. “Little Smiles believes every child deserves to smile.”

The toy drive has been happening for a total of 12 years. All of the toys go to children in difficult situations.

“[Little Smiles is] on their 12th annual holiday toy drive,” Magnolia Lang, a junior and Little Smiles club president, said. “We did this last year too at Jupiter, we collected five full boxes of toys so we are hoping to have the same toy income again this year.”

In order to find ideal toys to donate, anyone interested can check out the Little Smiles Amazon wishlist for ideas.

“Little Smiles has a wish list where people can go on Amazon and get toys they know the kids will want,” Ericka Muncy, Little Smiles club sponsor and Jupiter High teacher, said. “To check out the wish list, go on Amazon and search Little Smiles Toy Drive wish list 2021.”

After the toy drive, Jupiter High’s Little Smile’s club has more plans in store before the end of the year.

“We’re planning on doing a few more events between now and summer,” Lang said. “We’re gonna try and organize a gift basket put together where we’re gonna make little love grams for Valentine’s Day and put baskets together to give them to children in hospitals and then for March, something St. Patrick’s Day related.”

Little Smiles hopes to continue to support children in need with the help of Jupiter High’s students.

“Thank you so much to all the students and staff members for thinking about children who are sick or in need,” Muncy said. “Please keep those donations coming.”