Here at the St. Vincent de Paul store in Marquette, we receive many kids’ toys in our donations.  Of these, the larger ones are priced individually and the smaller ones go into our grab bags.  Sorting through all of these goodies one day, an idea occurred to me.  Why sell all of these cute tiny toys in grab bags when there is another way that is more fun for the kids and at the same time, is more profitable for the store?  The idea – a  toy vending machine.

We researched the egg vending machines online and were able to find one at an affordable price that suited our needs.  As simple as that, the machine was on its way to aiding our goals of helping others.  Small toys are set-aside for volunteers to place into the Easter eggs, which also come from our donations.

The toy machine was an easy project to set up and came at minimal cost to our store since all of the products are donations.  In shortly over a month, the machine is well on the way to paying for itself.  Future proceeds will go to our Christmas Basket Program, helping to give families in our district a wonderful holiday.  The kids love it and it lets us put our little toys to good use for a great cause.  Bring a kid and a quarter and try it out today.

                                                            Rachael Manthey

                                                            Store Employee

                                                            Marquette SVDP