By IANS
Chennai : One of India’s largest toy makers, Funskool India Pvt Ltd, has decided to gift toys to underprivileged children here for Christmas. It is asking the city’s schoolchildren to donate their toys, which the company will gift-wrap for those who cannot afford to buy them.
“The very idea of our business revolves around kids and hence this festive season, we intend to give back the love we have been receiving to those who have been deprived of it,” said K. John Baby, CEO, Funskool India.
“We hope that our efforts with Concern India Foundation will help us bring smiles on thousands of little faces,” Baby added.
Funskool will make an initial contribution of 2,000 new toys and games for the project. The company will also give a complimentary toy and a 20-percent discount voucher for every toy donated by a child, which can be redeemed on purchase of any new Funskool toy at all Mera Toy Shop outlets.
It has tied up with Concern India Foundation, a non-profit charitable trust, to sponsor collection vans, which will go from school to school in Chennai and collect toys donated by the schoolchildren.
Children can also give their used toys at collection boxes placed outside Mera Toy Shop stores, the retail partner of Funskool in this venture.
Concern India Foundation and its sister NGOs will distribute these toys to underprivileged children in the city.
Funskool plans to extend the programme in other Indian metros as well next year, through collection boxes at its retail stores nationwide.
Funskool India is a joint venture between the leading tyre company MRF and Hasbro Inc, a multinational toy company. The company had a turnover of Rs.450 million in 2006-07.
Funskool started its commercial operations in 1987 and has a manufacturing facility in Goa and a factory at Ranipet in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu.