Matt Holt is a tattoo artist and proprietor of Sacred Heart Studios (821 N Broadway Ave., Rochester). This yr, Holt organized a “Toys for Tats” drive to make the vacations a bit extra festive.
Toys for Tats is a toy drive that lets tattoo shoppers usher in a brand new, packaged merchandise with receipt to their appointment up till Christmas. Then the tattoo artists will deduct the price of that toy from the expense of the tattoo artwork.
One of many new tattoo artists on the store, Josh Brown, heard in regards to the Toys for Tats idea getting used at different retailers and instructed it’d work at Sacred Coronary heart Studios.
“We stole it,” Holt mentioned. “We’re hoping to make it an annual toy drive.”
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Though the drive is a method for purchasers to safe reductions, he mentioned that’s not the rationale he embraced it.
“It’s a method for us to work collectively to assist make 2020 suck much less for some youngsters,” he mentioned. “Everybody at Sacred Coronary heart Studios was excited to take part. … We’re blissful to have a possibility to assist out.”
The Toys for Tats undertaking can also be a tribute to Holt’s aunt Pam German, who handed away round Thanksgiving after an extended battle with most cancers earlier this yr.
“She had requested that memorial donations be made to Toys for Tots,” he mentioned. “The toys shall be donated to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots as a memorial.”
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Like many different native companies, the pandemic has dealt Sacred Coronary heart Studios a big blow.
Now the store is open for enterprise once more and following new well being precautions.
“As we at all times have, we’re taking well being division laws very significantly,” Holt mentioned.
The store limits the variety of visitors within the constructing at any time, solely accepts appointments (no walk-ins), asks each buyer who enters to make use of hand sanitizer, requires all employees and shoppers to put on masks whereas contained in the constructing, and disinfects surfaces recurrently.
If you wish to take part in Toys for Tats, textual content the store at 507-271-4954 along with your title and the artists you have an interest in. Try the Sacred coronary heart Studios artist portfolios at www.sacredheartstudiosmn.com.
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Extra toy drives
- See a drive-in film at The Bar n’ Grill in Racine and donate a toy for admission at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Go to the Facebook event for extra info.
- Donate new or gently used unwrapped objects for ages 0-18 at Café Steam, Little Thistle Brewing Firm and Outdated Abe Espresso Co. till Dec. 23 for a regionally organized toy drive.
- Chabad Lubavitch of Southern Minnesota and Southern Minnesota Judaism By the Arts are amassing toys for the Ronald McDonald Home. For extra info, go to www.chabadrochestermn.com.
- Somos Latinos, a Mayo Worker Useful resource Group with robust cultural ties to Latin America and Hispanic tradition, is gathering presents, important clothes, and reward playing cards to profit 40 native households in want recognized by Pink de Ayuda. Donate via the tip of the yr at https://bit.ly/Somos-walmart or https://bit.ly/Somos-Amazon. E-mail [email protected] for extra info.
- The Southeast Minnesota Toys for Tots program distributed 18,936 toys to 7,804 youngsters in 2019. To donate, go to https://rochester-mn.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites.
- To donate via the native Christmas Nameless Program, go to https://christmasanonymous.org/donating.
- The Salvation Military and Walmart collaborate on the Angel Tree Program, which has served greater than 2.6 million youngsters in want. For extra info, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/walmart-angel-tree.
- Canvas & Chardonnay is amassing funds to arrange an arts and crafts shelf at The Landing MN. Donations could be made to Group Artwork Outreach at www.canvasandchardonnay.com/product/art-heads-donation/57.
