Batavia Access Toy Drive is Looking for a New Home

After 78 years, beloved community tradition needs donated space to continue

BATAVIA, Ill. (Nov. 10, 2026) — For 78 years, the Batavia Access Toy Drive has brought joy, dignity, and hope to families across our community during the holiday season. Now, the volunteer-run program is asking for the community’s help to keep that tradition alive.
The Toy Drive’s longtime home on Webster Street was demolished this fall, leaving the program without a place to store donations or hold its annual distribution. As an all-volunteer effort, the Toy Drive has no funds to purchase property or pay rent, and the City of Batavia, which has helped find space for the program in the past, says it no longer has the resources to continue doing so on its own.

“This community owes a debt of gratitude to the Bailey family and every volunteer who has kept this tradition going for nearly eight decades,” said Batavia Mayor Jeffery D. Schielke. “The Toy Drive traces back to 1948, when Batavia’s volunteer firefighters began repairing donated toys to give to children of families in need. What started as a small act of kindness by a handful of firefighters has grown into a program that touches over 100 families every Christmas. That’s a legacy worth fighting for, and I hope our community steps up the way it always has.”

Today, the Toy Drive provides age-appropriate toys, books, games, puzzles, hats, scarves and mittens to local children each December. Donations are collected year-round, with the distribution taking place in early December.

The Toy Drive is seeking a safe, no-cost space of approximately 7,000 square feet, available beginning January 2027, for both year-round storage and its December distribution event. Businesses, property owners, or residents with space to offer or ideas for how the
community might sustain the program independently going forward are encouraged to call the City of Batavia at 630-454-2000.

A local business, Gem Lighting has stepped forward to provide space for this year’s collection and distribution, but only as a short-term solution. The Toy Drive will need a permanent location beginning in January 2027.

“We’re grateful to Gem Lighting for helping us get through one more season,” said Brittany Bailey-Cole, a fourth-generation volunteer with the Toy Drive. “My grandmother, Mildred Bailey started helping with this drive when it was still firefighters fixing up old toys, and my family has been part of it ever since. We don’t want to see it end on our watch, but we can’t do it without a place to call home.”

City Administrator Laura Newman said the City remains an advocate for the Toy Drive, even as it steps back from directly securing its space. “The City has been proud to support the Toy Drive over the years, but our resources and staff time have to be directed toward core City services,” said Newman. “That doesn’t mean we’ve stopped caring about this program or the families it serves. We want to help connect the Toy Drive with a business, congregation, or resident who can offer what the City no longer can, and we know Batavia has that kind of generosity.”

Families in need of holiday assistance this year, or year-round support, also have other local resources available, including the Batavia United Way’s Adopt-a-Family program and the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet at its new location. The City encourages residents to explore all of these options as the community works together to support its neighbors.

“This isn’t about the City walking away from a good cause,” said Schielke. “It’s about trusting Batavia to do what it’s always done; take care of its own. I’d love nothing more than to see four generations (with Brittany Bailey-Cole’s son Darion) of the Bailey family’s work become five.”

For more information or to offer space or support for the Batavia Access Toy Drive, contact the City of Batavia at 630-454-2000.