10 Years, 75 toys and a whole lot of Christmas spirit

Ten years ago, Islander Matt Bauman had an idea.

He was hosting his annual Christmas party and, like most parties, everyone was asked to bring a dish to share. But Matt started thinking about all the food that was left over every year and the amount of waste that came with it.

So he decided to do something different. He catered the food and asked everyone coming to the party to bring a toy instead.

That first year, they collected 75 toys.

And then came the next question: What do should he do with them?

Bauman knew he wanted the toys to stay here. He wanted to support an organization that put Island families first, especially the kids.

That’s when he found Deep Well and learned about the Santa Shop.
And that little Christmas party idea has turned into something bigger than imagined with the toy drive growing each year.

In 2025, this homegrown effort donated just over $50,000 in toys to the Deep Well Santa Shop, making it Deep Well’s largest contributor to the program. Over the past nine years, more than $200,000 worth of toys have been donated to help local families provide Christmas gifts for their children.
Last year, volunteers wrapped and decorated donation boxes by hand and delivered them to more than 60 local businesses. Toys were collected at all of the Island’s public schools. Families, businesses, teachers, kids and neighbors all got involved.

And then the generosity started showing up from places far beyond Hilton Head.

Through online wish lists, donations came from Oregon, Tennessee, Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia.

What started with 75 toys at a Christmas party has become a giant community effort, built around one simple goal: Making sure every Island child gets to feel the magic of Christmas morning.

No matter what their family makes or which neighborhood they live in. It doesn’t matter what their circumstances are. Matt believes, every kid deserves to wake up on Christmas morning and have something under the tree.

Now Matt and his crew are getting ready for Year 10.

The official kickoff for Hilton Head’s Largest Toy Drive will be Saturday, November 7, from 2–5 p.m. at The Ice Cream Cone in Coligny.

Come grab some ice cream, bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child newborn through 12 years old, and help them kick off another year of giving.

All of the donations will benefit the Deep Well Santa Shop and will be delivered to Deep Well during the first week of December.

Ten years. From 75 toys to more than $200,000 in toys for local kids.

Heather Malia Rath is a longtime area advocate and community connector specializing in communications, strategy and public policy. She loves telling the stories of the people and places that make the Lowcountry special.