HOUSTON, Texas — Lily Dubose was just 8 years old when she set out to bring comfort to children whose lives had been upended by Hurricane Harvey. Nine years later, that childhood act of kindness has grown into Lily’s Toy Box, a nonprofit with a warehouse stocked with more than 20,000 toys for kids in need.
“I started giving away my Legos and dolls to kids who flooded, and it just went off from there,” said Lily, who is now preparing to begin her senior year of high school. “I realized I loved giving away toys because it is such a simple act and kids love toys, so that was really fun for me to start that.”
Since launching in 2017, Lily’s Toy Box has distributed more than 100,000 toys to children across the United States.
“Lily is 17, and so if she wants to do something, I’m all in with that,” said Jessica Dubose, Lily’s mom. “My husband and I both said, well, do whatever you want to do with Toy Box. And so it’s a lot of work, we volunteer many hours a week.”
The Houston-based nonprofit has also built partnerships with brands and charitable organizations, including the foundation of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. For the past three years, Lily’s Toy Box and the C.J. Stroud Foundation have teamed up for an August back-to-school event, helping Houston-area families with backpacks, school supplies, shoes, haircuts, toys and other essentials.
“Lily is just incredible,” said Kim Stroud, president of the CJ Stroud Foundation and mom to CJ Stroud. “Her and her parents are just amazing people. They have such a big heart. They give back. They do it with a gracious heart, too.”
As Lily looks ahead, her goal remains simple: reach as many children as possible and make sure more families know help is available.
“The best thing that we would love for people to do is follow our Instagram and all of our socials,” Lily said. “They’re also able to go to our website, lilystoybox.com, and fill out a form for a child in need.”
“I’m very proud of Lily,” said Jessica Dubose. “She has a good heart and she’s always thinking of other ways to help kids.”
ABC13’s Localish team visited the CJ Stroud Foundation’s Back to School event in partnership with Lily’s Toy Box to see how the two organizations are working together!
For more information on Lily’s Toy Box, check them out on Facebook, Instagram or their website.
