A group of volunteers piled into a San Rafael Target early Friday morning to help the non-profit Dig Deep SF purchase gifts for underprivileged children.
The non-profit and its volunteer “elves” were able to fundraise nearly $100,000 for this drive this year. All those efforts led to teams of young volunteers coming to San Rafael to start buying toys Friday morning.
Dig Deep SF focuses its purchases on toys for older children, from ages 8 to 12, who it says are often overlooked in traditional toy drives. It relies on its young “elves” to help pick out the right ones.
“It’s very easy for the toddlers, the real young ones. You get those little tyke sort of toys,” Salvation Army Major Matt Madsen said. “But as kids get older, they get much more sold on certain products, certain lines, certain items. And so we thought, rather than doing market research, let’s bring in the experts. And that’s why we brought in the group of teenage elves to help do the shopping.”
All those toys the “elves” purchased Thursday will be headed to the Salvation Army workshop, where they will be given to families as part of the organization’s annual giveaway.
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