Donating Toys, Gift Cards, and Other Items to Patients at Hasbro Children's Hospital

Thank you for your willingness to give to the children we serve at Hasbro Children's Hospital. We appreciate your flexibility in helping us provide the very best items for hospitalized patients.

Donating Online

Please consider making a monetary donation to the Child Life Fund at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. We use these donations to directly impact our patients and families. The funds are used to provide gifts, playroom and bedside toys and activity supplies, and to support our year-round programming.

To donate online, be sure type in "Child Life Fund" in the "Comments" section when making a donation on our online form.

Donate online now

Child Life Donation Guidelines

We are extremely grateful for gifts to benefit our children and families; however, we do have some guidelines on what we are able to accept for the hospital environment. For infection control and the safety of our patients, we are able to accept only donations that are new and recently purchased. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept gently used or previously owned items. This includes toys, stuffed animals, magazines, electronics, clothing, and furniture.

All these guidelines have been developed in consideration of our infection control, safety, and privacy policies. We are not able to accept items that fall outside these guidelines. Items that are dropped off and do not meet our donation guidelines and acceptance criteria will be donated to other community agencies, or disposed of as appropriate.

Activities and Toys 

We can accept only donations of brand NEW toys and activities that have been purchased within the last three months. Even if items appear clean or have never been played with, they may have been exposed to dust, pets, and bacteria. Due to our patients’ fragile immune systems, we cannot accept gently used or previously owned toys, games, and stuffed animals. Please note that we cannot accept soft toys that have been in someone's possession (collection, storage, display, etc.), even if they've never been played with.

We can accept toys and activities for infants through teens. Before donating, please review our age-based donation suggestions (PDF).

We also have Amazon wish lists; please visit our Amazon wish list page to see some of our high needs items. 

View our other wish lists:

• General
• Rewards and Distractions  
• Backpack Program

Books

Books are an important part of the hospital experience for our patients and families at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Books can be used in a variety of ways such as in unit playrooms, outpatient clinics, and patient rooms for entertainment and learning opportunities.

We are happy to accept donations of new books. Books that are beneficial for the hospital environment include board books, hardcover or softcover picture books, fiction, and nonfiction, published within the last two years.

We cannot accept books that have inscriptions, damage, strong odors, or “touch and feel” fabrics like felt or fur.

Food and Treats

We cannot accept any food products, dietary supplements, or beverages. This includes unopened food such as candy, baked goods, and food meant for display, such as gingerbread houses.

Televisions, Gaming Systems, and Electronic Devices

Electronic devices such as televisions provide entertainment, distraction, and comfort to patients and families throughout their stay at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and can help make it feel more like home. Examples of electronic devices we use include televisions, portable DVD players, tablets, gaming consoles, and laptops. In order for us to use an electronic device, it may need to be modified so that it meets hospital safety standards and installation needs. Before you donate an electronic device, please contact the donations coordinator at [email protected] to discuss acceptable products or monetary donations that can be made to support the purchase.

Homemade Toys and Crafts

Due to infection prevention and control policies, we are not able to accept homemade items such as toys and crafts. This includes cards, signs, notes, and personal letters. The only exceptions are the items below.

Blankets and Pillow Cases

We can accept homemade blankets and pillow cases. Items must be washed after being made and then individually bagged to keep them clean. They must be free of any fragrance, musty odors, smoke, and food smells. Please contact the donations coordinator when planning a donation of this kind because these items cannot be stored and will need to be given to patients as they are received. The donation coordinator will be able to help you time your intended donation.

Dropping Off Gifts

For infection control, patient privacy, and safety reasons you are not able to personally hand out your donations/gifts to patients and families. All donations must be delivered to a child life staff member who will ensure that the items that fit our guidelines are utilized appropriately.  Please email the donations coordinator at [email protected] or call the child life services office at 401-444-8279 to arrange dropping off gifts or donations. All gifts can be dropped off to the Rhode Island Hospital main circle located at 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI.

If shipping and/or sending donations directly then please address to:

Child Life Services
Hasbro Children’s Hospital
593 Eddy Street
Providence, RI 02903