Rooftop Toy Shop opens for Christmas shopping

Brian Funk

Tabitha Houk of Rooftop of Virginia fills shelves at the agency's toy shop with items donated by the community.

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Each year, hundreds of local children’s Christmases are made merrier by Rooftop of Virginia Community Action Program’s annual Christmas Toy Shop, with shelves stocked by generous donations from businesses, community groups and individuals.
Tabitha Houk of Rooftop is overseeing the toy shop this year. It was created to help parents find affordable toys for their children.
Most items range from a quarter to 50¢. On two special days, all items are free.
The Rooftop Toy Shop opened Monday, “and we helped over 70 children and gave out more than 400 toys,” Houk said.
The toy shop accepts donations of new and gently used, unwrapped toys. Houk said some of the best new toys are saved for the shop’s two free days. “We’ll easily see 300 children over both of those days,” she said.
This afternoon, Steve Galyean is helping Houk organize the toys into “departments” like a real toy store. There are toys for infants and toddlers, boys’ and girls’ toys, games, books, videos, puzzles, arts and crafts, stuffed animals and more.
He arranges Barbie dolls along a top shelf, surrounded by a lot of pink-hued girls’ toys. Over on the boys’ shelf, bags of little Army men sit next to carded Hot Wheels cars.
There’s a “Wizard of Oz” movie that looks brand new, and a “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” board game that’s sure to go quickly.
A Rooftop staff member painted murals to brighten up the shop. That and the more organized shelves “make parents feel like they’re really shopping for a child,” Houk said.
Rooftop accepts toys throughout the year, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on normal days of operation. Donated toys for this Christmas should be delivered to Rooftop by Dec. 15.
“Without our donors, we simply couldn’t do this,” Houk said.
One of the major toy drives is by Jeff Johnson Chevrolet, with its “Chevy’s Giving More” campaign. Donors can drop off new or gently used toys at Jeff Johnson Chevrolet, at 2533 Carrollton Pike in Woodlawn. For more information, call 728-4800.
Williams Physical Therapy in Galax also is collecting toys for Rooftop. Galax Social Services dropped off more than 20 bags of donated toys already, and Jackie Smith’s home ec classes at Galax High School held a toy drive this year, too.

• The toy shop will be open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The two free days will be Dec. 19 and 20. Houk expects to stay open later on one of the free days. To visit the toy shop, you must bring a Social Security card or birth certificate and proof of the child’s age. Shoppers may only buy for children living in their home. For more information, call 236-7131 ext 234.