Behind the Legos and Barbies is a team of Christmas Bureau toy buyers

The toy buyers of the Christmas Bureau are always searching for a good deal on popular, high-quality toys to be distributed in December. But figuring out what toys will be hot and how many to buy is something of a guessing game each year.

The toy buying team typically starts ordering for the following Christmas in January, said head toy buyer Cheryl Taam.

“Jan. 2 is when we’re all looking at catalogs,” she said.

The Christmas Bureau is a collaboration between Catholic Charities, Volunteers of America and The Spokesman-Review to provide grocery store vouchers to people in need at Christmas along with a toy and a book for each child.

Rising toy prices in recent years have complicated the buying process. Organizers used to have a maximum of $25 per toy, relying on wholesale prices and discounts, but have had to raise that to $30, Taam said.

“We had to increase the amount that we spend,” she said. “There was no choice. Because shipping was so expensive, it caused the price of the toys to go up. We did the best we could. Inflation hit us, too.”

Some toys that used to be perennial favorites at the bureau are now too expensive to buy even with the increased budget. Taam lists larger toys such as Little Tikes as an example.

“We used to be able to get kitchens and some of those bigger items, but we just couldn’t,” she said. “Even wholesale, they’re $50, $60.”

Taam said organizers are seeking out different toy companies and doing everything they can to still provide high quality toys to bureau recipients. The bureau has been priced out of many of the Lego building sets but was able to get some of the smaller ones. Taam said she’s trying to fill the gap by finding less expensive building sets.

“There are people who really love Legos,” she said. “I want to make sure they have that option.”

Other than rising prices, the only hiccup this year has been the theft of some toys that were being stored inside a locked semi trailer at a storage facility. Since it happened over the summer, there was time to file an insurance claim and replace the stolen toys.

“They didn’t get everything,” Taam said. “They just tore apart certain pallets and took stuff from the tops of each.”

The increasing cost of toys and storage of the toys is one of the reasons bureau organizers raised the fundraising goal to $600,000 a couple of years ago. Toy buying might get even more expensive next year, however, if tariffs are slapped on goods from China, Mexico and Canada. It is the responsibility of the importing company in the United States to pay the tariffs, and those costs are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Taam said that even though most bureau toys are purchased from American toy companies, they are made and shipped from other countries, primarily China with a few items coming from Canada and Mexico.

“That’s kind of the way it is,” she said.

If the tariffs are imposed, there’s not much the toy buyers can do about it because they already start ordering toys in January and are usually done by March. It’s not possible to start now because they have to wait until the bureau closes to see what toys are left and in what categories, Taam said.

“There really isn’t anything we can do,” she said. “We’re going to be paying.”

Donations

This year more than ever, each donation to the Christmas Bureau is important, no matter how small. New donations of $7,520 have brought the year-to-date total to $97,943.68. The goal is to raise $600,000.

Gary Meinert, of Spokane, donated $1,400. Peter and Gay Witherspoon donated $1,000 via PayPal.

Richard Funge and Margaret Farris, of Mead, donated $600. “Thank you for all you do for our friends and neighbors in our community,” they wrote.

An anonymous Spokane donor gave $500. Steven and Lorrie McNutt, of Spokane, donated $500. Cheryl and Patrick Pritchard, of Spokane, sent $500 in memory of Holly Fry and Albert Verna. Mary Christensen, of Spokane, contributed $500. Keith Comes sent $500 via PayPal.

William and Deborah Pierce, of Liberty Lake, gave $300. Dennis and Barb Bunkers, of Spokane, contributed $275. Mike Mikos, of Spokane Valley, sent $200, as did Vickie Borer of Spokane.

Sue and Eugene Blankenship, of Newman Lake, donated $150. Mark McFall sent $105 via PayPal.

Thomas and Camilla Tilford, of Spokane, gave $100 in honor of Kathleen Lackie. An anonymous donor from Moscow, Idaho, gave $100, writing, “Thanks for your great work!” John and Jody Beck, of Spokane Valley, donated $100 via PayPal. An anonymous donor sent $100 via PayPal. Megan Bastow contributed $100 via PayPal, as did Mitchell Ackerman.

Francis Baker, of Spokane, donated $50. Deborah Carpenter sent $50 via PayPal.

Laurie Anderson, of Spokane, gave $30. Tracy Howe, of Spokane, also sent $30, writing, “Thank you for everything you do. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!” Mary Beth Fitzgerald donated $25 via PayPal.

Judith Horton, of Coeur d’Alene, donated $5.