It’s that time of year again, geeks!

Over the past five years, the Twin Cities Geek Holiday Toy & Book Drive has collected more than 20,000 donations of games, toys, books, and other gifts for families in need during the holiday season. We’re back for a sixth—and we have more donation options than ever before!

As has been the case in the past, items donated will go to two very worthy local organizations: Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Women’s Prison Book Project in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Click here to jump ahead for more information about what these organizations do.)

This year, families need our support more than ever because of the economic and personal challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has created. Due to Minnesotans being furloughed, laid off, hit with medical bills, and more, Hallie Q. Brown’s food shelf has seen a 1,600% increase in demand. (Yes, you read that number correctly: 1,600%.) We expect the need for holiday gifts for kids and teens this year to be similarly unprecedented. However, we think our community is up to the challenge of ensuring hundreds of kids can have holiday joy in 2020.

We’re doing all we can to make donating safe and easy for everyone despite the pandemic. In addition to physical donation boxes in your favorite stores throughout the Twin Cities area, you also have five options for donating remotely. (Click here to jump ahead to information on how to donate.)

From November 14 through December 12, 2020, please bring new and gently used toys and books to our Twin Cities Geek Holiday Toy & Book Drive donation box locations around the metro or donate remotely! We’d love to share your giving with the world, so when you make your donation, snap a selfie and post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with our official hashtag:

#GiveTCG

What Is Needed

Gifts for Kids & Teens

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center is collecting new and gently used toys to distribute during the holidays to St. Paul families in need through Hallie’s Toy Shop. Something as simple as your old Charlie-in-the-Box can bring a smile to a young person who has never had their own. There is a great need for items that will appeal to teenagers, so please consider donating some cool stuff for teens!

Please donate:

• New toys (for kids of all ages)
• Gently used toys (must include all the pieces)
• Electronics (Bluetooth speakers, video-game systems, earbuds, ereaders, tablets, etc.)
• Children’s and YA books and comics in good condition (hardcover or softcover)
• Games and puzzles
• New or used CDs and DVDs
• New or used video games
• Art and craft supplies
• Makeup, fashion jewelry, and fashion accessories that would appeal to teenagers

Books for Adults

The Women’s Prison Book Project collects new and gently used paperback books of all kinds. The organization sends three paperback books per person per month to cis- and transgender women and genderqueer persons in women’s prisons across the United States who write to request either specific titles and authors or general genres they enjoy.

Please donate paperback books in the following categories:

• Craft books (not patterns)
• Dictionaries
• Fiction and nonfiction by African American writers
• Contemporary books in Spanish
• LGBTQ+ books
• True-crime books
• Vampire books
• Women’s-health books
• Books about family
• Self-help books
• Books on recovery from chemical dependency
• Pagan, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious, nonfiction, and fiction texts
• Any other paperback books in good condition you would like to give!

About the Drive

A question we often get is: How is the Twin Cities Geek Holiday Toy & Book Drive different from Toys for Tots?

1. Toys for Tots often separates out toys by gender: you can get a “boy toy” or a “girl toy.” Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, by contrast, puts all the toys we send them together and lets families pick what their children will like best without any regard to gender.
2. Toys for Tots requires families to register very far in advance in order to get gifts for their children. There are always families who miss that deadline for any number of reasons. Hallie Q. Brown Community Center accommodates as many families as possible, even if they miss the registration date. It is specifically because of our drive that most of these families are able to get gifts.
3. Through our efforts and because we accept gently used toys, we are able to help provide the St. Paul families served by Hallie Q. Brown Community Center with up to six toys per child, which is more than double what Toys for Tots often provides.
4. By working directly with Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, we ensure that families not only get donated toys but also up to five books or comics per child from our drive.
5. Toys for Tots tends to attract toys for, well, “tots.” And while that’s a worthy cause, and toys for kids of all ages are wanted and needed, gifts for teenagers are in very high demand—their age group is often left out of gift drives like these. By running our own drive, we are able to shift the focus onto this need and encourage folks to donate gifts especially for teenagers.
6. Running our own drive allows us to be multipurpose, collecting not only gifts for the St. Paul families served by Hallie Q. Brown Community Center but also books for the Women’s Prison Book Project. This increases the overall impact of our efforts as a community.

Five Ways to Donate Remotely

Due to the pandemic, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of phone and online ordering for safer shopping and donating. This year, we have the following options available.

Option 1: Shop Local with Remote Orders

Support your favorite local gaming, comics, music, or hobby store while making a kid’s holiday brighter! Most of the Twin Cities–area stores participating as donation locations offer options to order by phone and/or online. We have outlined how to place remote orders that will go directly to the drive in the list of locations below. 

Browse Local Options

Option 2: Amazon Wish List

Buy from Hallie Q. Brown’s Amazon wish list and your donation will be shipped directly to Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. This is a great option if you would like to use Shop with Amazon credit card points or Amazon gift card balance to donate.

Amazon Wish List

Option 3: RightGift Wish List

Don’t want to use Amazon? No problem. You can also buy from our RightGift wish list and have your donation shipped directly to Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. This list includes the option of gift cards, which the center’s staff can use to choose items themselves. Place your gift order by December 1 to ensure it arrives on time!

RightGift Wish List

Option 4: Donate Money Directly to an Organization

The organizations our drive benefits can always use cash to help meet the needs of those they serve. You can make a direct tax-deductible donation online. Be sure to add a note that it’s for the TCG drive!

Donate to Hallie Q. Brown
Donate to the Women’s Prison Book Project

Option 5: Mail Items Directly

If you have items you’d like to ship straight from your home, you can send them directly to the community center:

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center
270 N Kent St.
St. Paul, MN 55102

Participating Locations

Geek-friendly businesses of the Twin Cities metro have answered the call again this year! We have a grand total of 43 different locations collecting donations for the 2020 Twin Cities Geek Holiday Toy & Book Drive, including gaming stores, toy stores, comic stores, music stores, art and craft supply stores, and even a store that sells fancy soda pop. Many of these have been participating in the drive since its launch in 2015, but we’re always welcoming new locations, and four new businesses are joining us for the first time this year!

Virtually all of these locations are locally owned small businesses or community organizations, so pick the location most convenient for you to donate and support these great pillars of our community—and maybe do your holiday shopping at the same time! Just don’t forget your mask if you are visiting in person. Masks are mandatory to keep everyone safer.

Please note that some participating stores are not currently offering in-store browsing. You will not be able bring anything to these stores to donate, but you can still purchase items by phone or online—whether for yourself or to have the store donate for you. These locations are marked with the purple car icon on the map below and marked in the location list with asterisks.

We have noted in the location list which stores offer online ordering, phone ordering, or both. We’ve also provided instructions for using those methods to purchase items for donation.

Finally, keep in mind that the pandemic is unpredictable and may cause abrupt changes in a store’s operations. Be sure to visit a location’s website to confirm hours and shopping policies (such as limits on the number of people who can be inside at a time) before visiting in person—even if you’ve been there recently.

Minneapolis

All Systems Go Games and Movies
158 13th Ave. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 331-0028 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Brickmania GHQ
1618 Central Ave., Suite 110
Minneapolis, MN 55413 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 584-3627 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Comic Book College
4632 Nicollet Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55419 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 822-2309 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Dreamers Vault Games
4701 Hiawatha Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55406 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 724-4543 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box or shop the Lotus Vault online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

Duck Duck Coffee
1830 E 38th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55407 (Map Link)
(612) 234-5802

Electric Fetus
2000 4th Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 870-9300 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box or shop the online store, select the Minneapolis location for in-store pickup, and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

Geek Partnership Society
Note: Open during meetings and events on the GPS calendar
1121 NE Jackson St. #106
Minneapolis, MN 55413 (Map Link)
(612) 424-2477

* Heroic Goods and Games • Curbside & Remote Orders Only (No Donation Box)
3458 Minnehaha Ave.
Minneapolis MN 55406 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 200-9354 Tues. and Thurs. 4:00–7:00 p.m. or Fri. and Sat. 1:00–6:00 p.m. to place an order over the phone and tell them it is a donation for the TCG drive, or shop the online store and indicate which items are for the drive in the notes field on your order.

Hot Comics & Collectibles
4400 Osseo Rd.
Minneapolis, MN 55412 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (763) 593-1223 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Knit & Bolt
2833 Johnson St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 788-1180 to place an order over the phone or email your order to sales@knitandbolt.com and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Level Up Games (formerly Mead Hall)
1425 LaSalle Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 315-3945 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box or shop the online store, select curbside pickup, and indicate which items are for the drive.

* Moon Palace Books • Curbside & Remote Orders Only (No Donation Box)
3032 Minnehaha Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55406 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the instructions on your order or call (612) 454-0455 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box. You can also buy gift cards for donation and the staff will select items for the drive.  

Once Upon A Crime • Curbside & Remote Orders Only as of November 23
604 W 26th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55405 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 870-3785 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box or shop the online store, select store pickup, and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

Steamship Coffee & Games
711 W Lake St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 825-4066 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Tower Games
3920 Nicollet Ave. #150
Minneapolis, MN 55409 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store, click the curbside pickup checkbox, and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the comments box, or call (612) 823-4477 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

* Wild Rumpus • Curbside & Remote Orders Only (No Donation Box)
2720 W 43rd St.
Minneapolis, MN 55410 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the comments on your order. 

St. Paul

The Gaming Goat
1326 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 690-4628 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box or shop the online store and select store pickup; after you complete your order, contact the store to tell them the order is for the drive and should go in the donation box.

Mischief Toy Store
818 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 493-3307 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box, Book a Virtual Shopping Appointment, or shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the Interests section.

Red Balloon Bookshop
891 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 224-8320 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box, or shop the online store, use the coupon code BEANANGEL, and select in-store pickup—your order will be automatically donated to the drive. You can also use the gift card available on the store website to indicate an amount and have the staff choose your donations. Red Balloon is also offering a 20% discount on any books or toys purchased to be donated!

Source Comics & Games
2057 Snelling Ave. N
Roseville, MN 55113 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 645-0386 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Wet Paint
1684 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and select Donations for the shipping method or call (651) 698-6431 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box. You can also buy gift cards for donation and the staff will select items for the drive.

North Metro

Blue Sun Soda Shop
1625 County Hwy. 10
Spring Lake Park, MN 55432 (Map Link)
(763) 432-0704

Dreamers Vault Games
11591 Theatre Dr. N
Champlin, MN 55316 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (763) 506-0303 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box or shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

The Gamers Den
140 Buchanan St. N #142
Cambridge, MN 55008 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a note on your order, or call (763) 689-5370 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box. You can also buy the official TCG Holiday Drive gift card and the staff will select items for donation. As a bonus, if you buy a $20 TCG gift card, the Gamers Den will add $5—spend $40 and they’ll add $10!

Games By James
327 Rosedale Center #652
Roseville, MN 55113 (Map Link)
(651) 636-0701

Hub Hobby
82 Minnesota Ave.
Little Canada, MN 55117 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the comments after the payment section or call (651) 490-1675 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Punch-Out Gaming
828 Lake St. S
Forest Lake, MN 55025 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 464-9820 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

South Metro

Blue Sun Soda Shop
6433 Penn Ave. S
Richfield, MN 55423 (Map Link)
(612) 200-9606

Dreamers Vault Games
14332 Burnhaven Dr.
Burnsville, MN 55306 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (952) 895-1989 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box, or shop on their online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

Dreamers Vault Games (formerly Level Up Games South St. Paul)
207 13th Ave. S
South St. Paul, MN 55075 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 200-4374 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box, or shop on their online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

Games By James
1093 Burnsville Center
Burnsville, MN 55306 (Map Link)
(952) 892-1004

Games By James
Mall of America
358 East Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425 (Map Link)
(952) 854-4747

Games By James
2510 Southdale Center
Edina, MN 55435 (Map Link)
(952) 925-9656

The Gaming Goat
1095 Diffley Rd.
Eagan, MN 55123 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 797-2670 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Hot Comics & Collectibles
224 Broadway St. S
Jordan, MN 55352 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (952) 492-7870 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Hot Comics & Collectibles
26 W 66th St.
Richfield, MN 55423 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (612) 798-3936 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Hub Hobby
6410 Penn Ave. S
Richfield, MN 55423 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the comments after the payment section, or call (612) 866-9575 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Issues Needed Comics
15465 Cedar Ave. S #160
Apple Valley, MN 55124 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (952) 683-9339 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Mind’s Eye Comics
200 E Travelers Trail, Suite 105
Burnsville, MN 55337 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (952) 492-9350 to place an order over the phone or email your order to orders@mindseyecomics.com and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

East Metro

Level Up Games
120 2nd St. E
Hastings, MN 55033 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (651) 346-1631 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box, or shop on their online store and indicate which items are for the drive in the Curbside Pickup section.

West Metro

Cream & Amber
1605 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Shop the online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” in the comments after the payment section, or call (952) 595-5640 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box.

Dreamers Vault Games
3015 Utah Ave. S
St. Louis Park, MN 55426 (Map Link)
Remote Orders: Call (952) 938-8163 to place an order over the phone and tell them to add it to the TCG donation box, or shop on their online store and write “Please put in TCG donation box” as a comment on your order.

Games By James
Ridgedale Center
12401 Wayzata Blvd., Level 2
Minnetonka, MN 55305 (Map Link)
(952) 545-6616
Note: Contrary to how this is listed on Google Business, it is located inside Ridgedale Center

Are you hosting a virtual event, or in-person event with strict COVID-19 safety precautions, during which you would like to help collect donations for the 2020 Twin Cities Geek Holiday Toy & Book Drive? Contact us and let us know!

About the Organizations

Here is some information about the two awesome organizations that the Twin Cities Geek Toy & Book Drive will benefit.

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center

Serving the Summit-University neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, Hallie Q. Brown Community Center Inc. is a private, nonprofit social-service agency whose mission is to improve the quality of life in our community by providing access to critical human services, fostering and promoting personal growth, and developing community leadership.

Although Hallie Q. Brown began as a settlement house for African American residents denied services from other agencies, the center long ago opened its services to all people. Historically, it has been mixed racially and economically. Approximately one-third of St. Paul’s people of color live in the Summit-University area, and nearly half of the population are minority residents. The area continues to evolve demographically, and Hallie Q. Brown provides a wide range of services designed to reflect the character of the Summit-University community as a whole. The Holiday Toy & Book Drive is part of a larger Hallie Q. Brown effort to help meet the basic needs of St. Paul residents.

In addition to our holiday drive donation locations, you can also mail donations directly to the community center:

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center
270 N Kent St.
St. Paul, MN 55102

Please check out more of the great work Hallie Q. Brown is doing at www.HallieQBrown.org.

Women’s Prison Book Project

The Women’s Prison Book Project (WPBP) is currently located at Boneshaker Books in Minneapolis’s Seward neighborhood. Since 1994, it has provided cisgender and transgender women in prison with free reading materials covering a wide range of topics, from law and education to fiction, politics, history, and women’s health. WPBP is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization that seeks to build connections with those behind the walls and to educate those of us on the outside about the realities of prison and the justice system.

Of the more than two million people confined in US prisons and jails, some 230,000 are women. The majority of these women are imprisoned for nonviolent crimes. Of the women convicted of violent crimes, many were convicted for defending themselves or their children from abuse. Women of color are disproportionately represented in the prison population. Many women in prison have at least one child under age 18, and most of these mothers had primary custody of their children before going to prison.

These facts mean that women in prison have specific needs for particular kinds of information: reading material on families, children, women’s self-help, women’s health, and legal aid pertaining to women who fight back against their abusers. Many lesbian, bisexual, and transgender prisoners have trouble obtaining information that is relevant to their lives. WPBP works to support prisoners and, through that solidarity, works to empower prisoners themselves and build connections through prison walls.

Check out more about the Women’s Prison Book Project at www.WPBP.org.

Go Forth and Donate!

Tell your friends, stop by one of the donation box locations, donate some toys and books, and post about it using #GiveTCG! Please thank the generous local businesses collecting donations for us. Check out their stores, and support them by doing some holiday shopping at the same time.

Together we can make others’ lives a little brighter this holiday season.