Northern Nm Toy Drive

History of the Northern New Mexico Toy Drive

The Northern New Mexico Toy Drive began in 2009 when Rollin Tylert Jones and his wife Becca recognized that many children throughout the region were going without meaningful Christmas gifts. What started as a grassroots effort by the Jones's, and Bret Houston who owns Opulent Fine Jewelry & Furs soon grew into a major regional tradition supported by firefighters, local businesses, volunteers, and community organizations.

From the beginning, the Toy Drive’s mission has been about more than simply handing out toys. Its goal is to provide children with gifts that encourage healthy interests and long-term development, including sports equipment, art supplies, musical instruments, dance-related items, books, and other activities. Whenever possible, children receive the specific gifts they have requested, giving them the dignity and excitement of knowing that someone listened to them.

Over the years, the Northern New Mexico Toy Drive expanded far beyond Santa Fe. Today, it serves communities stretching from the Navajo Nation and the Four Corners east to Mora and Las Vegas, north to the Colorado border, and south through Santo Domingo Pueblo and the Albuquerque area. Special attention is given to children in foster care, teenagers who are often overlooked by traditional toy drives, families experiencing homelessness, and children referred through schools, shelters, pueblos, social-service agencies, and community organizations.

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional collection and distribution efforts in 2020, Exit Realty and Exit Advantage Realty stepped forward to help the Toy Drive continue operating and growing. Los Alamos National Laboratory has also become an important partner by providing financial support, collecting toys, and supplying volunteers. Firefighters, law-enforcement personnel, local businesses, nonprofit organizations, schools, athletic teams, and hundreds of individual volunteers have all contributed to the program’s success.

Community events have become an important part of the Toy Drive’s history. These have included the annual Ugly Sweater Party at Fuller Lodge, toy-collection weekends, community celebrations, and La Posada on Santa Fe’s South Side. La Posada brings families together for an evening of gifts, food, entertainment, and holiday activities while ensuring that children who might otherwise be overlooked experience the joy of Christmas.

The Northern New Mexico Toy Drive also works to strengthen the communities it serves. Whenever possible, donated funds are spent with local businesses, helping keep community donations within northern New Mexico. Volunteers do much more than collect toys—they shop for individual children, organize and sort thousands of gifts, coordinate with agencies, transport donations, and deliver gifts across a service area covering hundreds of miles.

Since its founding, the Northern New Mexico Toy Drive has helped provide more than 63,000 Christmas experiences for children. It has grown from a small firefighter-led effort into one of the region’s largest charitable holiday programs, now assisting more than 10,000 children during a single Christmas season.

More than fifteen years after the Jones's started the organization, its purpose remains unchanged: to make sure children across northern New Mexico know that their communities see them, care about them, and believe in their future.