01 Aug Toy Drive Kickoff at Coligny Ice Cream Cone

🎄🎁 HILTON HEAD’S LARGEST TOY DRIVE TURNS 10! 🎁🎄

What started with 75 toys has grown into a $200,000+ community effort.

Ten years ago, Islander Matt Bauman came up with a simple idea. Instead of asking guests at his annual Christmas party to bring a dish to share, he catered the food and asked everyone to bring a toy to attend.

That first year, they collected 75 toys.

Then came the question: Where should the toys go?

Matt wanted to support an organization that put Island locals — especially children — first. That’s when he discovered Deep Well and the Santa Shop.

And the rest is Hilton Head history. ❤️

For the past nine years, this homegrown toy drive has continued to grow. Last year alone, more than $50,000 worth of toys were donated to the Deep Well Santa Shop, making this Toy Drive Deep Well’s largest contributor to the Santa Shop.

Over the past nine years, the Toy Drive has donated more than $200,000 in toys to help local families provide Christmas for their children.

And it truly has become an Island-wide effort.

Last year, volunteers hand-wrapped, hand-decorated and hand-delivered donation boxes to more than 60 local businesses and collected donations at all of the Island’s public schools.

The generosity even reached beyond Hilton Head, with toys and donations coming through online wish lists from Oregon, Tennessee, Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia.

What began as 75 toys at a Christmas party has become something so much bigger:

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE.

All with one simple goal — to make sure that every child, regardless of their family’s socioeconomic circumstances, gets to experience the magic of Christmas morning. 🎅🎁❤️

🎄 NOW, LET’S CELEBRATE YEAR 10! 🎄

Join us at The Ice Cream Cone at Coligny for the official kickoff of the 2026 Toy Drive!

📍 The Ice Cream Cone at Coligny
📅 Saturday, November 7th
⏰ 2:00–5:00 PM

🍦 Enjoy some ice cream
🎁 Bring a NEW, UNWRAPPED toy for a child newborn through 12 years old
❤️ Help support the Deep Well Santa Shop