DALLAS, TX — More than 30 City Electric Supply (CES) branches committed to hosting their first-ever toy drive in 2021. They successfully donated hundreds of toys and picked the mission right back up in 2022 for the second annual toy drive. This year, the results were even greater. Thirty-three CES locations donated over 1,000 toys to three different nonprofits across the eastern part of Texas.

"Doing things for our community shows that we are more than just a business. We are part of something larger than ourselves. Any chance CES has to get involved with additional causes is really important to us," said Regional Manager Nate Jefferson. "The communities that CES gets to work in mean so much to our branch teams, and all of our locations wanted to do their part and give back this holiday season."

Across Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, CES locations in each district chose an organization to donate their toys to. In the fourth largest city in America, the CES branches in Houston donated to DePelchin Children's Center. Driven by the belief that all children should be a part of safe, loving homes, the mission of the DePelchin Children's Center for the past 130 years has been to strengthen the lives of children by enhancing their mental health and physical well-being. This holiday season, DePelchin will fulfill the holiday wish lists of more than 1,400 children through its annual Holiday Project.

"DePelchin relies on donors, volunteers, and partners like CES who care about brightening our children's future to help us make a difference in their lives. Toy drives like this around the holidays are pivotal to our ability to serve the families we care for through our foster care services, parenting and counseling programs, and more," said Adam Supgul, Director of Donor and Community Engagement at DePelchin. "We couldn't transform lives without the support from groups like CES."

In the state capital of Austin, Texas, CES branches donated to Operation Blue Santa. Starting in 1972, this is Operation Blue Santa's 50th year offering holiday programs, making this a hallmark year for the organization. Operation Blue Santa plans to serve over 5,000 families this holiday season and help over 15,000 children ages infant to 14 receive holiday cheer.

"We are so excited to be working with the CES branches and their customers this holiday season. If we didn't have organizations like CES get involved with us, a lot of children would not have a nice holiday season," said Margarine Beaman, Operation Blue Santa President. "When we receive donated toys, that allows the funds we receive to go elsewhere. CES is making a difference in their communities so a child can have a great holiday season."

The CES branches in San Antonio donated to Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA). CASA serves children who have been abused and are currently in foster care. CASA ensures these children have someone who looks out for them while in foster care by training community volunteers who advocate for their needs. CASA serves over 1,400 children each year through various programs.

"City Electric Supply has stepped up to ensure that our children have a toy waiting for them during the holiday season," said Blair Ortmann, Vice President of Mission Advancement at CASA. "Having community support from organizations like CES means the world, not only to us, but to our advocates. There is no greater gift we can give than supporting these children. They know people love them and want only the best for them."

The CES branches spent their time leading up to the toy drive decorating the drop-off bins in their stores to match the festive mood. Promoting the toy drive across different platforms to help get the word out, CES employees gathered presents from basketballs to bicycles.

"The response our branches received was incredible. The toy drive achieved great results because our branch teams did their part to promote the event," Jefferson said. "CES is also fortunate to have such dedicated customers willing to make this toy drive a success. To each of them, I say thank you for their hard work and dedication."