The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) recently donated nearly 600 stuffed toys that passed safety inspections to the 32nd annual Holiday Wish program, Dauphin County Systems of Care, and New Hope Ministries gift drives this holiday season. The effort is the result of a partnership with the Holiday Wish program.

Under state law, L&I must inspect all new stuffed toy samples for contents, choking hazards, and general safety. Toys that pass inspection get a registration number, which is on every stuffed toy sold in the state. Because of this process, the department accumulates hundreds of toy samples each year. In the past five years, L&I has donated nearly 3,200 toys to holiday gift drives.

The Holiday Wish program was started in 1989 by a small group of employees from the Department of Human Services. Over the years, it has grown to include hundreds of employees in numerous departments.