Today is Give to the Max here in Minnesota.

Give to the Max Day was created in 2009 to launch GiveMN, a collaborative venture led by Minnesota Community Foundation and many other organizations committed to helping make our state a better place.

That initial spark touched off an outpouring of generosity — $14 million in 24 hours. Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2023, Give to the Max Day has become Minnesota’s annual giving holiday, raising $290 million in its first 14 years. Every year, thousands of organizations and individuals generate donations and excitement for Minnesota causes that are working to improve the quality of life for all Minnesotans.

Give to the Max Day has become a national model for giving days.

We need your help! This year the Minneapolis Toy Library is hoping to raise $5,000 to amplify our ongoing sustainability efforts and support our volunteer staff.

“Research shows that individual giving from donors like you and me is the largest source of revenue for nonprofits each year,” said Jake Blumberg, executive director of GiveMN. “Give to the Max shines a spotlight on the power of our collective giving each year, showing that tens of millions of dollars for good can be raised $10, $25, and $100 at a time.”

Our toy library supports children and caregivers in Minnesota by providing a curated inventory of toys for borrowing. We believe that play is vital for healthy development. Play is children’s work and it’s serious work. Children learn school readiness skills and emotional/social skills through play. A toy library is an important resource and makes Minnesota (and wherever toy libraries reside) a GREAT place to live!

Toy libraries – where caregivers borrow toys – are a sustainable approach to play. By providing materials and toys to borrow, we are shifting the focus away from buying new toys. Did you know that the toy industry is a $90.7 billion industry? Many of these toys are made from virgin plastic materials – that’s a whole other story. Toy libraries help focus on a circular economy (an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way) as a way to combat carbon emissions and climate change.

Will you help support a sustainable way to play, by donating to the toy library?

Donate now!

Thank you!

~Rebecca Nutter, Executive Director