Editor’s note; This year, the St. George Theatre is once again hosting its annual toy drive to benefit local kids. They’ve partnered with local focused organizations to help ensure that every kid on Staten Island gets toys for Christmas. There are multiple programs going on around the island, including the Angel Tree program by the Salvation Army, which is a little more direct in that people can choose a specific child or children to buy gifts for, and they provide a wish list as a guide. The Central Family Life Center is also hosting a toy drive for the local community. For those interested in a larger program serving the whole country, USPS Operation Santa is another option.
From Last Year’s Holiday Toy Drive
In December 2024, the St. George Theatre partnered with the Minority Women in Business Association of Staten Island host the 5th Annual Toy Drive! Over 3,000 toys were distributed to families from Beautiful Heartbeats Inc, Community Health Action of Staten Island, Seamen’s Society for Children and Families, Project Hospitality, Uncle Chase Foundation, and K Woods Foundation . This event not only brought joy to countless children but also highlighted the spirit of unity and compassion within the Staten Island community.
Thank you to our dedicated volunteers and generous donors including JP Morgan Chase ,Verrazano Kiwanis Club of Staten Island, Broadway Stages, and to our sponsors Amazon, Community Media of Staten Island, Kiwanis Club of Bensonhurst & Bay Ridge, Robert DeFalco Realty, SI Community Alliance, Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, and Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio.
Banner Image: Toy Drive banner. Image Credit – St. George Theatre
St. George Theatre
Centered in the historic St. George District of Staten Island, just steps from the iconic Staten Island Ferry, the St. George Theatre was the most magnificent theatre on Staten Island. Solomon Brill of the Isle Theatrical Company broke ground on a beautiful 2,800 seat venue, in August of 1928 and the doors opened on December 4th, 1929. The cost of the project, which included an attached office complex, was two million dollars, $500,000 of which was for the theatre. Brill, who owned several other theatres on the Island and once owned a nickelodeon with William Fox of 20th Century Fox fame, promised to bring top-of-the-line vaudeville to the borough for an admission fee of 75 cents. He envisioned the St. George as a “dream” show house rivaling Manhattan’s cathedrals of cinema.