Once again, the folks at IC3D Printers have launched their annual “3D Printed Toys for Tots” campaign.
IC3D Printers is an Ohio-based 3D print service for industry, and the Toys for Tots campaign is their way of giving back to the community.
The campaign asks those with idle 3D printers to produce a series of toys that are then distributed to children. Here’s how it all started:
“In early 2014 IC3D Printers cofounder and COO Matt Organiscak envisioned enlisting the help of 3D printer operators around the nation to produce scalable and meaningful impact for needy kids. First launched in 2018, the annual 3D Printed Toys for Tots charitable campaign uses volunteer-driven distributed manufacturing 3D printing clusters across the nation to produce toys for all. IC3D provides thousands of kilograms of material and organizes volunteer regional coordinators—ElfHubs—that receive, inspect, and deliver thousands of 3D printed toys to Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots chapters in their area.”
Incredibly, last year’s campaign generated an astonishing 74,000 toys for children. This year’s goal is an ambitious 85,000 toys with at least 300 printers making them.
If you’re not able to perform 3D printing, the campaign also offers opportunities to directly provide sponsorship through a variety of means.
The campaign is quite sophisticated, as you might imagine from their years of experience. They operate a private Discord server where new participants can ask questions of more experienced operators, for example. The campaign also has divided the US into regions where participants can be associated. Currently there are 35 separate regions, with focused on both major metropolitan areas and smaller centers. If you are in the US, there is a region near you.
An interesting feature of the campaign is that filament may be supplied to the participants at no charge, so long as inventory is available. IC3D Printers explains:
“The 2023 3D Printed Toys for Tots charitable campaign will feature Recycled PETG. R-PETG by IC3D is made from PETG resin sourced from both industrial and commercial operations and is the preferred material within our in-house 3D print services department.”
This is not only a valuable community project, but it’s also quite mature and that’s demonstrated by their ever-increasing participation levels.
If you have a 3D printer with some spare cycles and reside in the US, please consider joining the Toys for Tots campaign.
This feature is part of Fabbaloo’s ongoing community support program where worthy non-profit projects are featured and promoted. If you have a project you’d like to be highlighted, please check out our community support page.
Via IC3D Printers
