Guatemala Christmas toy drive: where to donate toys and how they reach kids on December 24

Where can I donate toys for Christmas in Guatemala?

If you live in Guatemala or you're visiting in December, you can join Paint Smiles for Christmas, the toy drive that started Start with a Smile Project in 2014. Every December 24, Amalia Jarquín, her family, friends and volunteers drive out of Antigua Guatemala with cars full of gifts for the children who wait along the road to Tecpán, in Chimaltenango, near the Iximché ruins.

There are two ways to help:

• Give money on GoFundMe. We use it to buy the gift bags.
• Give toys: pack them in your suitcase or buy them here, then message us and we'll arrange how to receive them in Antigua.

The details of this year's drive are on the Christmas 2026 page.

What toys should I donate to kids in Guatemala?

Simple toys work best, the kind kids play with in a schoolyard, on a dirt road or with their brothers and sisters. These are on our list:

• Dolls and stuffed animals.
• Toy cars.
• Soccer balls and other balls.
• Jump ropes.
• Coloring books, with crayons.

For the December 2022 delivery, the project also asked for no war toys, so leave toy guns and other toy weapons at home, as Guatemala.com reported at the time. Think about ages, too: along the road we meet groups of 5 to 50 children, sometimes whole families, so toys for little ones and for older kids all get used. A toy that doesn't need batteries still works in March. And if you buy new toys to bring, take them out of the big cardboard boxes: the packaging eats half a suitcase and is no use by the roadside.

Have gently used toys? Message us before you pack them and we'll tell you whether we can hand them out.

What's in a Christmas gift bag for kids in Guatemala?

Each bag holds a toothbrush and toothpaste, nutritious food and a toy. Cash donations pay for the bags. In a recent year we handed out 500 bags and, counting the toys people donated, close to 1,000 gifts: donated toys nearly doubled what we could give.

That's why both kinds of help matter. The bag covers the basics for every child, and a donated toy adds one more gift.

What else can I donate at Christmas besides toys?

The delivery takes place in the cold highlands. The climate bulletin for Chimaltenango from Guatemala's Ministry of Agriculture (MAGA) forecast that lows could drop to between 2 and 6 °C (about 36 to 43 °F) in parts of Tecpán from December 2025 to March 2026. Alongside toys and stuffed animals, the December 2022 wish list included:

• Sweaters for children and adults in sizes S and M, and blankets.
• Flat shoes for children and adults, no heels.
• Children's clothes.
• Toothbrushes, toothpaste and bar soap.
• Incaparina, a fortified drink mix common in Guatemala, and other food.
• School supplies.

For clothing, read where to donate clothes in Antigua Guatemala; for notebooks and crayons, how to donate school supplies in Guatemala.

How does the December 24 toy delivery work?

We leave Antigua at 6 a.m. with friends and family. After about an hour and a half on the road, we start meeting the children who wait along the shoulder; some of them wait all through December. We stop wherever kids are waiting and hand out the bags in person.

To picture that morning, read Christmas on the road to Tecpán or browse photos from past deliveries.

Can I bring toys from the US to donate in Guatemala?

Yes. That's the whole idea behind Pack a Smile: use the spare room in your suitcase. Check the customs rule before you pack. Guatemala's tax and customs agency, the SAT, lets you bring in goods worth up to US$500 without paying duties, as long as you haven't used that exemption in the previous six months and have been out of the country for at least 72 hours. Carry a list of what you're bringing and what it's worth; that's what the SAT asks for if you need to declare it.

Short on luggage space? You can also buy toys in Guatemala; should you bring donations or buy them here? helps you decide. And if you're not traveling at all, see how to donate from the US or abroad.

How do I donate to the Christmas toy drive?

1. Donate online on GoFundMe. The fundraiser is run by a project volunteer in the United States, with Amalia as co-creator.
2. Donate toys in person. Message us through the contact form, on WhatsApp at +502 5562 3313 or at amaliajarquin@gmail.com, and we'll arrange how to receive them in Antigua Guatemala.

A note for donors in the US and Canada: Start with a Smile Project is a nonprofit community initiative, not a registered NGO, and the GoFundMe is a personal fundraiser, so donations are not tax-deductible. We post photos of the deliveries on Facebook and on Instagram (@proyectosonrisas.gt), so you can see where your gift went.