EAST TENNESSEE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Donation guidelines for
toys and other items
We are grateful that you are interested in donating items for the patients and
families at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Donations are always needed for
children to use while they are hospitalized or receiving treatment. Items are also
appreciated for gifts for patients on their birthdays, special holidays, off therapy
parties and treatment milestones.
Items may be delivered to the Volunteer Services and Programs Department
during regular office hours or to the hospital’s main lobby information desk when
the office is closed. Please call (865) 541-8136 for any questions you may have.
What we cannot accept
•
•
•
•
Materials with a religious theme
Used items such as fabric dolls, stuffed animals,
cardboard games, books, and puzzles
Homemade food and candy items
See below for information on food items that may be
donated for patient families.
Rubber/latex balloons
What we can accept
New items such as
Infant/toddler items:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Busy boxes
Stacking toys and nesting cups, plastic rattles
and teethers
Push/pull toys and pop­-up toys
Shape sorter toys
Crib activity centers
Play telephones
Plastic books
Lullaby CDs
Light-up/musical toys
Hard plastic toys that can be washed
VTech toys
Preschool items:
•Duplos/Legos
• Matchbox cars
• Board games
• Plastic toy figurines
• Baby dolls (all plastic parts), clothes
• Barbie dolls, clothes
•Balls
•Bubbles
• Age ­appropriate DVD movies (rated G)
• Medical play kits
• Fisher Price people, house, farms, airport
• Fisher Price CD players
• Hard plastic toys that can be washed
• Any items featuring Paw Patrol, Doc McStuffins,
Car, and Mickie and Minnie
School-age items:
• Any items featuring Dora the Explorer, Finding Nemo,
Sponge Bob, superheroes, Star Wars, Frozen and
Minecraft
• Etch­-A-­Sketch or Magna Doodle
• Age­appropriate DVD movies (rated G or PG)
• Tonka Trucks
• Games: Sorry, Connect Four, Battleship, Monopoly
Junior, Clue Junior, Guess Who?
• Portable CD players with ear phones
• Legos and Lego sets
Form No. 31580 (05/16)
EAST TENNESSEE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coloring books, crayons, markers and colored pencils
Fuzzy posters
Molding clay
Play-doh
Hand­held electronic games
Craft kits
Teen items:
•
•
•
•
Gift cards (especially for sporting goods, electronics,
movie theaters or video stores)
Games: Playing cards, UNO cards, Monopoly,
Simon, Trivial Pursuit (all versions), Chess,
Checkers, Skip Bo, Phase Ten, Rubik’s cube
Music CDs
Age ­appropriate DVD movies (rated G, PG or
PG­-13 only)
• Stationery and journals
• Adult coloring books
• Jewelry and watches
• Manicure sets or bath/body sets
• Digital or disposable film cameras
• Pen and pencil sets
• Craft kits
• Nerf sports items (football etc.)
• White t-­shirts for craft activities
• Hair accessories, brushes, combs
• iPods or mp3 players and accessories
(such as speakers and headphones)
• New pajamas, colorful socks
Other items we welcome:
Gift Cards – Many of our patients and their families have
specific needs that can be met with gift cards. Cards from
the following retailers and businesses for $5 and up are
especially useful.
• Babies R Us
• Discount retailers (Target and Walmart)
• Electronics stores (Best Buy)
• Family clothing stores (Kohl’s)
• Grocery stores (Kroger, Ingles, Food City, Publix)
• Movie theaters (Regal and Carmike)
• Restaurants (fast food and casual dining)
• Simon Gift Cards (available at Knoxville Center and
West Town Mall) or Visa gift cards
• Sporting goods stores
• Toys R Us
• Online retailers (iTunes, Amazon)
Batteries – C, D and AA batteries
Clothing and Personal Hygiene Items – Donations of the
following items are appreciated to help our patient families
with emergency needs.
•
New and previously worn sweat pants and t-shirts
– infant to adult sizes
•
New socks and underwear – infant to adult sizes
•
We do not accept jeans, coats, dresses or shoes.
Personal Hygiene Items
Travel size
•Shampoo
•Conditioner
•Deodorant
• Hand cream
•Toothpaste
• Hand sanitizer
• Shaving cream
Regular size
•Toothbrushes
• Dental floss
• Combs and brushes
• Lip balm
• Disposable razors
• Child and adult fingernail clippers
• Nail files
Food for family kitchens – Each patient floor has a family
kitchen or lounge. Donated food items can be provided
to help families in these areas. All donations must be
nonperishable, commercially prepared (we cannot accept
homemade food) and packaged/sealed in single servings.
•
Microwavable soup and pasta dishes
•
Small packages of wrapped snacks such as pretzels,
graham crackers, fruit snacks etc.
•
Breakfast and cereal bars
•
Beverages such as juice boxes, canned or bottled
sodas, ice tea, water and lemonade
•
Canned fruit or applesauce
(pop-top or peel-off lids only)