Question/Answer on Donation Bins

1.  How can my business receive a donation bin to put out to support Cops, Kids and Toys?  Please email info@copskidsandtoys.org and let us know that you'd like a bin and we will happily drop one off a bin in early November and pick it up around December 1.

2.  Where are the donation bins located?  A list of donation bin locations are on our donation page on this web site.  Link to Donation Page. 

3.  Do you take used toys?  Yes we do.  Used toys are put into Free Donation Bins on Pick Up Day.  Families we serve can then pick toys from the free bins to give to their children. We give each child new gifts, but the free bins add to what the families can get to fulfill the needs of their children.

Question/Answer on Volunteering

1.  My group would like to volunteer.  How do we go about setting up a time?  Please email info@copskidsandtoys.org and let us know that you'd like to volunteer, when your available and the number of people that you anticipate helping out.  We will do our best to meet your groups' needs.  Please know that we are limited to how many people we are able to have in the toy room at one given Covid19 and the standards we have to follow.

Question/Answer on Application

1.  Does Cops, Kids and Toys help children outside of Tompkins, County, New York?  Unfortunately, we are unable to help children outside of Tompkins County, New York. 
2. Why are you not delivering gifts this year?  Due to continued staffing shortages in departments, we are unable to know if we will have the manpower needed to make deliveries in a timely manner possible. Because of this, we decided it was best for our planning purposes to only have pick-ups so that applicants had plenty of time to plan their way to a  pick-up location, rather than spring this on them at the last minute.
3.  Why is there only one pick up location this year?  Being limited on the number of volunteers, we needed to ensure that we'd be able to hold the pick ups we promised.  We have also chosen 3 days with extended times for pick-up for working parents and custodial guardians.
4.  My application has been confirmed, but we have moved.  What happens now?  If you have moved and still live in Tompkins County, NY, your family can remain on our list.  Just update the address with us so that it matches your Photo ID.  If you have moved out of Tompkins County, we will have to cancel your application.
5.  How do I know if Cops, Kids and Toys received my application?  You will receive an email letting you know that your application has been received and tentatively accepted after filling out the application. If you do not receive this email, your email was not sent to Cops, Kids and Toys.  You will also receive an email from the Application Coordinator letting you know that your application is accepted and
6.  Can I apply to other organizations and still receive gifts from Cops, Kids and Toys?  Unfortunately, we are only able to serve children who have applied to no other organization that helps children over the holiday season.  We work closely with other organizations and if a second application is found, your application for Cops, Kids and Toys will be removed, even if you've already received a confirmation of your application.  If schools are unwilling to work with Cops, Kids and Toys to verify that children are not a part of the Cornell Elf program, we will be unable to serve children in those schools, as it's important to us that we give each application the same scrutiny.  Bottom Line:  Don't apply to other organizations for help if you apply to Cops, Kids and Toys.  If you decide to apply to other organizations email us at info@copskidsandtoys.org and let us know, so that we can remove your application.  Your application will be removed if a second application is found.
7.  I don't have custody of my children.  Will Cops, Kids and Toys still help me get my children gifts?  We can only provide gifts to applicants that are the legal, custodial guardian of the children that apply.  We cannot help grandparents, and other relatives unless they have custody of the children they are seeking help.  If we ask for proof of guardianship, and it can't be shown, we are unable to accept your application. 
8.   When is the application deadline?  The deadline for applications for Cops, Kids and Toys is November 20, 2022.
9.  Why did you change the application deadline?  The application deadline was changed to November 20, because we have increased our application numbers each year and need more time to get the tags ready and  applications checked against other organizations helping families in Tompkins County.
10.  Help!  I've missed the deadline.  Can Cops, Kids, and Toys still help me?  Once the deadline is over we will no longer take guaranteed applications.  We will begin a list of late families, and see what we can do for families who have not been late in the past.  Families that are chronically late, will not be accommodated.   We will help as many families as were are able on the late list, as long as we have toys and gifts for the age range of children you're applying for.  We will likely be able to help younger children over teens, as we usually have an abundance of toys for younger children.
11.  I won't be in town on Pick-Up Day.  Will you hold my child's gifts for me?  We are not able to hold gifts after the pick up days are over, and will not have earlier pick-up days for those traveling either.
12.  How long does the application take to complete?  The application takes between 5-10 minutes for the average person to complete.  It's important to tell us about your child, so that we can choose gifts that they may like.  Please read the application carefully, as it's a very new application.  Please complete it in one setting as we will delete incomplete applications.
13.  What can we expect for gifts for our children this year?  Cops, Kids and Toys purchases gifts as well as receives many donations from the community.  We do our best to meet the children's wishes.  We do not provide gift cards, video games, gaming systems or other electronics.   Gifts from Cops, Kids and Toys is seen as a supplement to gifts from parents.  We do not purchase big ticket items.  When big ticket items are donated we look through the applications for children that applied on time and who have asked for the special gift.  We call parents to ensure that this special gift will be a blessing.
14.  My older kids love the movie tickets that you normally give out, will you be giving movie tickets out again this year?  Because the movie theater had not opened when we were making decisions, we have decided to not purchase movie tickets for 2022.
15.  My child really needs clothes and would like gift cards to get them.  Cops, Kids and Toys does not buy gift cards or give out clothes as gifts.

16.  Why am I being asked to give Cops, Kids and Toys a letter from my child's school that states we are not receiving holiday gift help through the school?  Several schools have been unwilling to work with Cops, Kids and Toys to ensure that the families being helped by Cornell Elves and other holiday gift giving help the school provides are not also on the Cops, Kids and Toys list.  To ensure that we are only helping families receiving help from one organization, we need your help to prove this.  We are sorry that it has to be this way, however we want to treat each application with the same scrutiny and evaluation equity.  Please talk to your school if we are asking for this information, and understand it is to ensure that each child is only receiving help from one organization.  If the school will not work with you or us, we will not be able to serve your family, as we cannot know if your family is also receiving gifts from another organization.  We want each application to go through the same process to ensure equitable treatment. 

17.  Why am I being asked to redo my application with my child's interests?  Interests are asked to help us choose gifts your child/children may like.  When parents ask for gift cards, video games and gifts that are out of our financial reach, we have nothing to go off to choose a gift that the child may enjoy.

18.  Help!  I missed Pick-Up Day.  How can you help me?  Volunteers work year round to raise funds and take donations to make the gifts that Cops, Kids and Toys donates available to families in Tompkins County.  We send an email reminder the weekend before pick-up day to remind families it's about to happen.  We are not able to hold gifts after pick-up day, as our volunteers want to spend time getting ready for the Christmas holiday with their families after giving so much time to the families that we serve.  We also are an all volunteer organization, and we have 3 days this year from 11am until 7pm to pick-up gifts.  We can likely meet a family earlier than 11am, if a parent is working during the hours we are open, please ask us as soon as possible and we will do our best to make these arrangements. Please put pick-up days in your calendar as soon as you're notified your application has been accepted.  There will be no exceptions to late pick ups.

19.  Why does the applicant have to be the person to pick up the gifts?  We want the applicant that is the parent or custodial guardian to be the person picking up the gifts, so that as an organization, we know that the children will receive the gifts.  It's also a way for the family to thank the volunteers that help to make the gifts available for the family asking for the help. 

20.  My kids don't like the gifts they received, can I exchange them?  Unfortunately, we are not able to exchange gifts.  Each child receives the same number of gifts, books, stocking stuffers, if any are available, and a stuffed animal if age appropriate.  We try to make the children happy, but sometimes miss the mark and for that we are sorry. 

21.  Help a mistake was made on the gifts that we picked up!  Can you help me fix this mistake?  We are happy to fix any mistakes that we make, but they have to be brought to our attention as soon as possible.  Meaning, that after you pick up the gifts be sure that each of your child has a brown paper bag of gifts.  If you have 3 children, each of your children will have a brown paper grocery bag labeled with their age, gender and interests.  Email us at Info@CopsKidsandToys.org, so that we can fix the mistake.  Notifying us after the pick up period has ended or on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day will not allow us to fix the error, so do not delay in checking out the gifts to ensure that we did not make a mistake with age, gender or leaving a child out.