College of the Florida Keys Donates Hundreds of Toys to County Children

Friends, employees, and board members of the College of the Florida Keys gathered December 9 at the Key West campus for the college’s Caribbean Holiday Party and left with a concrete community gift. The event produced hundreds of new toys for local children and several boxes of food items, as attendees marked six decades of the college’s involvement in Monroe County.

The donations are routed to two local supports that serve distinct but overlapping needs. Toys will benefit children served by Samuel’s House, a Keys based nonprofit that assists women, mothers with children, and families experiencing homelessness, domestic instability, or crisis across the county. Food donations were directed to Tuga Shelves, the college’s food pantry on the Key West Campus that helps students facing food insecurity. Both organizations operate at ground level when county residents encounter sudden economic strain.

“No holiday celebration would be complete without sharing what we have with our community,” said Dr. Jonathan Gueverra, CFK president. “The holiday celebration reminds us how fortunate we are to have the means to help those in need and give back to families who make the Florida Keys home.” Gueverra and his wife Josephine hosted the celebration, which doubled as a community thank you and an appeal to sustain local support networks.

The timing matters for Monroe County. Seasonal pressures on housing and living costs, combined with an influx of visitors during peak months and a workforce with variable employment, make holiday donations an important short term buffer. For students, campus food pantries such as Tuga Shelves are increasingly common responses as colleges work to keep learners enrolled and on track academically.

While charitable drives meet immediate needs, local leaders say such events also highlight longer term policy questions about housing affordability and the capacity of social services. Sustained public funding for emergency housing, expanded mental health support, and increased resources for college student aid would help reduce recurrent dependence on episodic donations.

For now the toys and food collected on December 9 will provide tangible relief during the holidays, and reinforce the college’s role as an anchor institution in Monroe County. The event underlined a community practice of mutual aid that helps families and students move through crises while broader policy solutions are pursued.