Toy Donations
Patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital rely on the generosity of our community to brighten their hospital stay. Your donation of new, unused, and unwrapped gifts helps create a comfortable, healing environment.
Gifts and toys are used by our child life team year-round for special holiday and birthday celebrations, end-of-treatment parties, and to celebrate significant milestones.
Thank you for your interest in donating to our patients. Please contact the Donation Line at 954-265-0843 or email JDCHdonations@mhs.net for any additional questions.
Frequently Needed Items for Patients and Families
- Light, sound, and pop-up toys
- Mobiles (plastic only, no fabric)
- Plastic crib toys
- Teethers
- Wrist rattles
- WubbaNub
- Baby Mitts/Socks
- Projector and sound machine soothers
- Onesies
- Dolls (multi-cultural)
- Cars, trucks, trains
- Actions figures / superheroes
- Plastic animals / dinosaurs
- Board games / card games
- Doctor play kits
- Lego sets
- LOL surprise dolls
- Little people play sets
- Kitchen play items
- Musical instruments
- Puzzles
- Wireless Headphones
- Over-the-door basketball hoops
- Plastic dart boards
- Kinex kits
- Teen lego sets
- Board games / Card games
- Arts and Crafts Kits (ex: Slime)
- Jewelry kits
- Play-doh
- Stickers / sticker scenes
- Markers / crayons / colored pencils
- Slime kits
- Sand art kits
- Coloring books (all ages)
- Bubbles
- Nail Polish
- Cozy Socks and Blankets (for all ages)
- Underwear (for all ages)
- Toiletry Kits
- Window Clings
Donation Guidelines
Donations should be scheduled in advance on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 9 am and 4 pm. All donations can be dropped off at the hospital's main entrance:
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
1005 Joe DiMaggio Drive
Hollywood, FL 33021
Once you arrive in the valet circle, inform valet you are there to drop off a donation. There is a designated donation area inside the main entrance with red bins. Please place the items there and a member of our child life team will retrieve them when available. Please be sure to fill out a donation form so we can provide you a thank you letter.
We accept donations for infants to 18 year-olds.
Although the kids at JDCH receive gifts during the holidays and for celebrations, many of the donated items are also used in our playrooms and patient rooms throughout the year. Toys with fabric cannot be cleaned or used by multiple children. Durable, manageable-sized toys are most appropriate.
No. Unfortunately, due to infection control and patient safety, we are only able to give out newly purchased items in their original packaging.
No. Out of concern for the safety, immunity and allergies of many of our patients, we are unable to accept donations of toys that have been previously played with or were part of private collections.
We accept donations of new books and are unfortunately not able to accept used books due to infection prevention.
We can accept and use knitted IV covers and knitted octopuses and blankets.
Due to safety, allergy and immunity concerns of our patients, we are only able to accept new items.
We are unable to accept the following items:
- Used and previously played with toys, books, games or stuffed animals
- Bicycles/Scooters
- Cards for patients
- Homemade treats (cookies, cupcakes, etc.)
- Latex items
- Private collections of toys, books, games or stuffed animals that have never been played with, but have been stored away
- Violent toys
Due to staffing and transportation limitations, we are unable to pick up donations.
Yes, please mail toy donations to:
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
Child Life Department
1005 Joe DiMaggio Drive
Hollywood, FL 33021
You also may visit our Amazon wish list to purchase gifts online and have them sent to the Hospital.
We apologize, but because of concerns for patient confidentiality and infection control, our donors are not allowed to deliver gifts directly to children.
We kindly ask that all toys are unwrapped. Please do not put labels or tags on gifts.