Kathy Greager, founder of Lightly Loved Toys, sorts through toy donations at New Song Church in Medford Thursday. 

Christmas may be four months out, but efforts are well underway for Medford resident Kathy Greager’s toy drive program to ensure local kids have something to unwrap Dec. 25.

Greager has been running Lightly Loved Toys for 23 years, starting out of a small-scale operation from her home to hand out donated toys to local families in need.

Today, the nonprofit gives away free toys to more than 1,000 children in Medford and surrounding areas each year.

“Our goal every year is to make sure no child goes without a Christmas gift,” said Greager, founder and main organizer of Lightly Loved Toys. “In 20-plus years, we’ve never had to say no to anybody.”

The idea for the toy drive was hatched after Greager was donating her daughter’s old playthings more than two decades ago.

“I realized how many toys were in really great shape or never played with,” she said.

The nonprofit was started soon after, seeking lightly used toy donations from the community to eventually hand out to families needing support during the holiday season.

Lightly Loved Toys’ headquarters eventually grew from Greager’s home to New Song Community Church, offering more space and resources to continue aiding community members in need.

“Once we partnered with New Song Community Church, we could allow parents to come in and shop for their kids,” Greager said. “It changed the whole dynamic.”

The space allows for parents and guardians to select two or three gifts for their kids, from toddlers all the way to teens. In addition, visitors can pick up little goodies for stocking stuffers.

“We would not have had Christmas last year had we not had [Kathy Greager] and that giveaway,” said Melissa Castillo, a Medford resident and mother of seven. “She literally doesn’t care who you are, where you’ve been or what you’ve been through because it’s just about the kids; she has such a heart for children.”

After receiving help from Lightly Loved Toys last year, Castillo now assists the nonprofit as a volunteer.

“It’s exceedingly rewarding — Kathy gives to anybody and everybody,” Castillo said. “Outside of most organizations too, there’s not a lot of bureaucratic red tape.”

One of the main donations Greager and volunteers are looking for at this time of the year are boxes of crayons and colored pencils to accompany gifts and stocking stuffers.

“We go through about 1,200 boxes or so a year,” Greager said, adding, “Our current crayon count is 300, so we have a lot more to go.”

Beyond assisting those in need during the holiday season, Greager’s nonprofit works year-round to donate birthday gifts, as well.

And Lightly Loved Toys receives a lot of help from other organizations and businesses in the Rogue Valley.

The nonprofit partners with residents on east Medford’s Cherry Lane to set up a toy drive collection spot, which is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year, Greager said.

The collection spot is set up after Thanksgiving weekend when Cherry Lane residents set up their renowned Christmas lights displays each year.

Multiple other companies and organizations support Lightly Loved Toys, including Mary’s BBQ Place in Central Point, Medford Montessori School, the Eagle Point Golf Community Homeowners Association and Jackson County Physical Therapy.

“The most rewarding thing for us is knowing that there’s going to be more smiles on Christmas and that we were a part of that,” Greager said.

To give crayons, colored pencils, toys or other donations to Lightly Loved Toys, visit www.facebook.com/santaliveshere.