AGAWAM – The Agawam Zero Waste Club, Agawam Rotary Club, Agawam High School National Honors Society, and the Agawam High School SAVE Club have partnered to collect toys for the fifth annual Holiday Used Toy Exchange.

According to Abbey Massaro, a member of the Agawam Zero Waste Club,  this year’s event was virtual, and included a number of steps that community members took throughout the month of November.

“We asked families to submit photos through email of toys they no longer want or need,” said Massaro. “And then, we posted the photos on the Agawam Rotary Club website.”

From there, residents were asked to look on the Rotary Club website, and submit a Google form with their favorite toy selections. According to the website, participants who picked their favorite toys were entered into a lottery.

For families who sent in the toys they would like to donate, a collection day took place on Nov. 21 by appointment at the Agawam Public Library.

“We are organizing a pickup day for the families who have been selected for their favorite toys,” said Massaro.  That pickup day, according to the Rotary site, will be Dec. 5 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.at the Agawam Public Library. Participants will have to remain in their cars for the drive-thru event.

“This event is definitely Agawam Zero Waste Club’s brainchild,” said Massaro. “We’ve always organized this, and it was our idea to do this event.”

In a discussion with Reminder Publishing, Massaro laid out everyone’s role when it comes to preparing for this event each year.

“Essentially, Agawam High School sends us volunteers, usually to organize the toys  and clean the toys,” said Massaro. “So if we get something that needs a little bit of attention, or batteries to be replaced…and the students are so great at also knowing what these toys are.”

These high school volunteers are directly from the Agawam S.A.V.E. Club and Agawam National Honors Society.

Since everything was virtual this year, community members were able to go online and find the specific category they were looking for when it came to choosing their favorite toys.

“Agawam Rotary Club essentially gives us this platform of sharing the toy photos,” said Massaro. “And then, their volunteers were also helpful logistically planning the event.”

As for the Zero Waste Club, Massaro said that the organization manages a lot of the intake, such as emails with photos of the toys. They also organize the pickup and drop off of the toys throughout these weeks.

“The families that want to pick up toys already know which toys they are coming to get, and when to be there,” said Massaro.

Massaro said that it’s important that they stick to the appointment-based drop off and pickup times. Due to COVID-19, it is important to not have a free-for-all, she said.

“Unfortunately we had to organize it this way … hopefully we don’t have to do so next year,” she said. “It was fun doing it in person because there’s definitely a holiday spirit.”

The greatest aspect about doing this event in person, according to Massaro, is the fact that those who donated toys were happy to give the toys a second life, while those who participated in the “free shopping” – or toy pickup – were thankful to receive a free toy.

“We’re happy that we get to do this for our community, and also keep in mind that it is an environmental event as well, so we’re preventing these toys from going to the trash bin,” said Massaro. “We’re happy to support the reuse economy, and keep these toys out of the trash.”