Toy drive organizers are recruiting extra volunteers to help them "throw away" recalled toys, says USAToday.

"It's caused me a lot of lost sleep," says Karen Boyd, who buys toys for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau in the Kansas City metro area. Volunteers helped check whether 3,000 toys she bought on sale last spring and other donated items are on recall lists.

So far, a few dozen toys recalled because of lead content have been found. "We're checking everything," Boyd says. "If it's a child's only toy, I would hate for it to be unsafe."

Here's the really sad part, some Salvation Army locations have stopped accepting toy donations because it doesn't have the staff to check them. Other charities are only accepting donations of toys made in the U.S.

Delkor Systems, which makes packaging machines in Circle Pines, Minn., is accepting toys made only in the USA and Canada in its Toys for Tots drive.

Owner Dale Andersen made the change when he met a man whose son was hospitalized after swallowing Aqua Dots, a craft set. A chemical on the toy beads turns toxic when ingested.

If you've got some spare time, why not volunteer? If you read this recall-riddled blog you probably have a better idea than most people what is safe and what isn't.

Recalls keep toy-drive elves busy [USAToday]
(Photo:g-hat)