Your donations of toys, clothes, books and other items help young patients and their families through difficult times.
Safety Guidelines
To keep our patients safe, we can accept only gifts that are:
- New and recently purchased. We can’t accept items from donation boxes in public spaces.
- Clean. To avoid contamination with pet dander, dust and other allergens, please put stuffed animals or other plush toys in a clear plastic bag immediately after purchase.
- Not recalled. Before donating an item, please check with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall list to make sure it hasn’t been recalled.
- Not wrapped. Please don’t gift wrap your items.
Donate Toys, Games and Personal Wellness Items
Donations of toys, games, party supplies and other items can help make difficult and sometimes frightening hospital stays more manageable for young patients.
We’re always looking for:
- Birthday party supplies, such as balloons, party hats, plates and napkins
- Craft supplies, such as crayons, stickers and construction paper
- Items to promote mental and physical wellness, such as personal massagers and journals
- Stuffed animals
- Toys
- Video games, particularly for PlayStation 4 and Xbox
View Children's Hospital wish list
You can donate these items to the Happiness for Health program — which distributes them to patients at MU Children’s Hospital — or to the pediatric unit of the Missouri Psychiatric Center. The unit serves children ages 5 to 18 who require acute psychiatric care; they typically spend five to seven days in the hospital.
Direct mail address
Children’s Hospital
c/o Child Life
1021 Hitt Street
Columbia, MO 65212
Donate Clothing
By donating clothing, you can help comfort patients and their parents.
We’re always looking for:
- Baby clothes, which can be a huge help to parents coping with their new baby’s hospitalization.
- Clothes for kids 5-18, especially new socks and underwear, for patients on the pediatric unit of the Missouri Psychiatric Center. The center serves children who require acute psychiatric care.
Donate Children’s Books
By providing children’s books for our youngest patients and their families, you can support programs that help parents and encourage kids to read:
- Donations of Golden Books support our Books for Babies program. Through the program, parents receive a children’s book when their child arrives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). At the start of every month their child is in the NICU, parents receive another new book. Their baby's footprints are on the inside cover of each book, giving parents a way to see their baby's growth.
- Monetary gifts to our Reach Out and Read program help us purchase books and other reading materials for our youngest patients. Through the program, doctors help prepare patients to succeed in school by prescribing books and encouraging families to read together. The program begins at the six-month checkup and continues through age five. At the five-year checkup, children receive book bags with stickers, coloring books and other reading enrichment goodies. To donate to Reach Out and Read, email Cristin Clark or call her at 573-882-0488.
Donate Gift Cards
By donating gift cards, you can support our patient and family assistance program. The program assists those who may not have the resources to pay for all of the medical and other expenses that can come with having a child hospitalized.
Gift cards for any of the following are a big help:
- Clothes
- Gas
- General retailers such as Walmart or Target
- Groceries
- Hotel lodging
- Restaurants
How to Donate Items
To arrange a donation, please email Julie Royse or call 573-884-0724.