Help Us Make A Home for Children!
Donate Needed Items, Coordinate a Donation Drive, Make Something Special for our Kids, or Visit our Target Registry . . .
Before bringing donations to CCYA, please contact Angela Thornton, Chief Advancement Officer, at 770-333-9447 ext. 135 or athornton@ccyakids.org about the items you would like to give.
Current Needs at Our Shelter:
GROCERIES:
To help with groceries you can:
- Make a monetary donation to our Meal Fund
- Donate gift cards for Kroger, Publix or Walmart
- Host a Pantry Drive or Donate groceries to the main kitchen food pantry
- Dry Goods (containers, bags): sugar, flour, pasta, canned goods, macaroni & cheese, rice, oatmeal, grits, biscuit mix, pancake mix, syrup, salad dressing, condiments, canned vegetables,
- Paper goods: paper towels, toilet paper, plates, bowls, cups, napkins, plastic utensils, . . .
- Meats: turkeys, hams, hot dogs, chicken, pork chops, hamburger patties …
- Snacks: individually wrapped crackers, cookies, chips, nuts, Fruit Roll-Ups, granola bars, …
- Cook or bring in a meal (weekday or weekend). Contact Nelnetta West Food Service Manager, at nwest@ccyakids.org or call 770-333-9447 x114
SHELTER UTILITIES:
The electric bill for The Center’s campus is averaging a total of $4,200 per month. Combined with the other monthly utilities: gas, water, waste management and telephone expenses, the average utilitiy bills for The Center are $11,500 per month. Whenever the winter season comes, we know our heat bill will be rising! To help keep our kids warm and showered you can:
TRANSPORTATION:
The Center transports the kids at the shelter to 7 different schools, medical and dental appointments, court hearings, part time jobs, educational and social outings and individual activities (music lessons, dance classes), school events, volunteer opportunities & many other places. With costly gas prices and the maintenance on our aging vehicles, you can help us to transport youth:
- Make a monetary donation to our Transportation Fund
- Donate gas cards
- Volunteer to transport one youth to one weekly activity (background clearances and Motor Vehicle Driving clearances must be completed with The Center’s Direct of Human Resource to volunteer). Contact Kimberly Tinsley, Director of Youth Activities & Volunteer Services, at ktinsley@ccyakids.org or call 770-333-9447 x103.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
To help support activities for our youth, you can:
- Make a monetary donation to our Youth Activities Fund
- Sponsor an activity or outing. Contact Kimie Tinsley at ktinsley@ccyakids.org or call 770-333-9447 x103.
- Donate tickets or gift cards for exhibits, movies, bowling, skating, plays, restaurants, concerts, Dave & Busters, sporting events, etc.
MORE WAYS TO HELP YOUTH AT THE CENTER:
- Request CCYA as your company’s United Way Kick Off Speaker
- Holiday Support: Donate Halloween costumes; Easter basket treats; Valentine treats; Thanksgiving turkeys (cooked or uncooked); Hams (cooked or uncooked); Donate or help cook or serve a holiday meal; Help with a summer cookout
- Sponsor a youth for the Holiday Gift Drive
- Sign up to be a Guest Chef and partner with Bob our Food Service Manager and make a special dinner for the kids
- Volunteer to wrap holiday gifts at our annual “Santa’s Workshop” – Contact Kimberly Tinsley at ktinsley@ccyakids.org or 770-333-9447 x103
- Help promote The Center – share information and our website with your friends, co-workers and neighbors!
SMALLER ITEM DONATIONS:
*Due to past difficulties and limited storage, we no longer accept used clothes.
- Gift cards to stores like Target, Walmart, Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and Old Navy so we can purchase clothing for the youth
- New socks and underwear: boxers for boys; bikini underwear for girls
- Gift Cards for shoes (examples: Payless, DSW, Sports Shoe, Athletes Foot and Rack Room).
- New coats, scarves and hats for teen boys and girls
- New dressy dresses for proms, dances, and banquets (women’s sizes 3-18)
- New men’s suit coats, dress shirts, ties, dress pants (small, medium, large and extra-large)
- Twin comforters, sheets, shams and curtain sets to decorate a room: colorful and teen-friendly, for boys or girls
- Bathmats and shower curtain liners (fun colors appreciated)
- Toiletries: toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash/soap, liquid hand soap, lotion, feminine products
- Cleaning Supplies (i.e. 409 Cleaner and Windex): bathroom cleaner, window cleaner, disinfecting wipes, etc.
- Dish soap and dish sponges
- Dishwasher soap
- Laundry Detergent
- Vacuum cleaner (need 2)
- Books, DVDs and video games that are teen appropriate (G, PG and PG-13)
- 50 photo scrapbooks for the kids to make “LifeBooks”
- Electric stainless steel wok for Open Gate
- Small black desk/table for Life Works’ entryway
- Small black 30”-36” long X 12” deep, black cabinet for under TV in Open Gate for exercise/video games/activities
- Long sofa or buffet table for sign-in books at Life Works (black or dark brown – can be used/antique)
- Halloween costumes (purchase them half price in November!)
- Portable DVD players (welcome gifts for new residents; 1-15)
- Wednesdays the kids get to have soda with dinner (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sunkist, Dr. Pepper, Mr. Pibb) -donate cans or 2 liter bottles of soda
- Place settings of dishes for 18 (brown, orange, or lime green solid dishes) for Life Works
- Place settings of dishes for 12 (white, black, or purple solid dishes) for Open Gate
- Plastic dishwasher drinking cups (24 for Life Works) – non breakable
- Plastic dishwasher drinking cups (20 for Open Gate) – non breakable
- Kitchen towels and pot holders (brown/orange/lime green) for Life Works and (black/white/purple) for Open Gate
- New or used sewing machines for Sewing Club
- Standing podium for Speech Club
- Colorful floor rugs for Life Works bedrooms 4’X6′, 5’ X 7’ or 8’ X10’) – (shag, low pile for boys and girls)
- Picture frames for photos of youth in homes (small, medium, and collage)
- Holiday sweat shirts for our CCYA Choir (red, green or purple)
- Regular shirts for our CCYA Choir to perform in throughout the year
- White formal table cloths for Sunday Dinners, holidays, and special event dinners (need 8-10)
- Magazine subscriptions (Automotive, Sports, Seventeen Magazine, Cooking, Gardening, Art, Entertainment)
LARGER ITEM DONATIONS:
- 12 cafe tables for our main dining room/cafeteria
- Digital sign/Bulletin board for Open Gate
- Large propane gas grill for cookouts (2 event grills needed)
- 1 or 2 small sheds to store sports equipment by our new outdoor recreation area
- 6 round outdoor tables with lime green umbrellas
- Drum set for music therapy
- New twin mattresses with inverted seam for bed bug prevention
- 10 Art easels & 10 wooden stools
- New carpet in girls’ dorm rooms (6 rooms)
- 3 computers or laptops for Open Gate tutoring and homework program
- 3 desk top laser printers for youth Computer labs (Life Works Business Center, Open Gate, Another Chance)
- Renovation of Life Works pantry area (common subsidized pantry and 10 resident mesh food lockers)
- Built in shelves for Incentive Closet (Point Store) in Another Chance
- Outdoor shelter tents for activities and events (10X10, 12X12 and 14X14)
- Fold up tables and fold up chairs (8 tables and 50 chairs)
- 4 wooden picnic tables
- 2 outdoor patio tables and 8-12 chairs for Another Chance deck
- Energy Efficient Lighting for Dorm Rooms
- New 15 passenger van
- Community Clubhouse Modular Building System
- 9 metal commercial bed frames for girls’ dorm
- 9 metal black dressers for girls’ dorm rooms
- 10 metal black dressers for Life Works’ dorm rooms
- 8 metal black desks and chairs for Life Works’ dorm rooms
- Ice machine for Life Works
- Water cooler for Open Gate
DONATED SERVICES NEEDED
- Air Duct Cleaning
- Handyman Services
- Interior and Exterior Painting
- Cooking
- Vehicle Maintenance
- Snow Removal and Salt/Sanding of Sidewalks in inclement weather
- Re-tiling of 3 Life Works Resident Bathrooms
- Refinishing of resident bedroom furniture
- Strip, wax and buff floors in shelter homes
- Pest Control
- Dry Cleaning (ROTC Jr. uniforms, men’s dress shirts)
Visit Our Target Registry
We have launched a Wish List registry at Target stores. This is a way for us to communicate our current needs with donors and the community. The Wish List covers many different areas and price ranges, from toiletries and school supplies to room décor, furniture and electronics.
You can either look it up at your local Target store or shop for us online:
- Go to target.com
- Click link for list / registries on the red banner across the top
- For I want to, click find
- Under find a registry or wish list, enter:
- First Name: ccya
- Last Name: ccya