When I was a kid, I received toys on Christmas and on my birthday, and that was pretty much it. That gift-getting schedule kept me grateful, but I can’t imagine what it would have been like to get nothing at all, like so many kids living below the poverty line.
Social-game developer Zynga is partnering with the long-running Toys for Tots charity to help provide joy and gifts to less fortunate children.
“Zynga and Toys for Tots share a common belief in the positive power of play, and we’re proud to invite our players to join us in supporting Toys for Tots’ mission to deliver hope through the gift of toys,” Zynga.org executive director, Ken Weber, said in a statement. “Together with our players, we’re showing that social games really do enrich people’s lives.”
Zynga is calling this the “Oh, What Fun!” campaign, and it starts today and runs through December 31.
Oh, What Fun! works by giving the users of some of Zynga’s older and most played games the chance to donate by purchasing in-game items. All 100 percent of the proceeds go to Toys for Tots.
“Every child deserves the gift of play during the holidays,” said retired Marine Corps Major and vice president of Toys for Tots Bill Grein. “Partnering with Zynga for our largest digital fundraising initiative to date, it’s now easier than ever for people to help children less fortunate this holiday season.”
The eligible games include the following:
- CityVille
- CastleVille
- Words With Friends
- FrontierVille
- Bubble Safari
- Draw Something
- FarmVille
The U.S. Marine Corps founded the Toys for Tots Foundation in 1947 as a not-for-profit organization focused on giving children of impoverished families a toy or book during the Christmas and gift-giving holiday seasons.