Water Gap Woodturners to create original toys for Sussex County drive

Kyle Morel, New Jersey Herald
·2 min read

SANDYSTON — Rather than buying presents for children in need, local craft experts are hosting a free workshop this weekend to make their own unique toys to donate for the holiday season.

The public is invited to attend a demonstration hosted by the Water Gap Woodturners at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Peters Valley School of Craft Wood Shop. Members of the group will create a variety of wooden items, including spinning tops, yo-yos, magic wands and ball catchers, and donate them to the Project Self-Sufficiency Season of Hope Toy Drive.

The woodshop is located at 19 Kuhn Road in Sandyston.

“We are so flattered that the men and women of the Water Gap Woodturners have selected Project Self-Sufficiency to receive these one-of-a-kind toys,” said PSS Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon. “These toys were made with love and that generous spirit is what the Season of Hope Toy Drive is all about.”

The Water Gap Woodturners will host a demonstration at the Peters Valley School of Craft Wood Shop in Sandyston Saturday, Dec. 4, and make toys to donate to the Project Self-Sufficiency Season of Hope Toy Drive.
The Water Gap Woodturners will host a demonstration at the Peters Valley School of Craft Wood Shop in Sandyston Saturday, Dec. 4, and make toys to donate to the Project Self-Sufficiency Season of Hope Toy Drive.

Jim Cerra, the president of the Water Gap Woodturners, said he has had an "ongoing relationship" volunteering with PSS, and the group has donated the hand-crafted items to the nonprofit organization for the past several years. Saturday's event will serve as the Woodturners' monthly meeting and the final one in the Peters Valley studio until the spring, according to the group's website.

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The Season of Hope Toy Drive, which officially got underway last month, has taken place for the past nine years via a partnership among PSS, the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program and local schools. Organizers hope to gift toys, gift cards and monetary donations to more than 2,000 children in Sussex and Warren counties by the end of this year's initiative.

The headquarters for the Peters Valley School of Craft within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is seen in this file photo.
The headquarters for the Peters Valley School of Craft within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is seen in this file photo.

Anyone interested in donating can drop off unwrapped toys at PSS from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

For more information on the Season of Hope Holiday Toy Drive, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500 or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County NJ Woodturners create toys for annual drive