Jamma Jingles Holiday Drive to be held at Balboa Island Museum

Without pajamas to make their cheeks nice and rosy, how comfy and cozy are kids through this upcoming holiday season? On Saturday, nonprofit Magical Builders will host its 20th annual Jamma Jingles Holiday Drive at the Balboa Island Museum, where members will collect unwrapped pairs of pajamas and books to be distributed to children in need around Orange County.

Refreshments and music will be served up during the drive, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Organizers said they are still in the process of asking Santa Claus to drop by, though Magical Builders co-founder Christy Frank said she’s heard the jolly old elf is very busy this time of year.

The Balboa Island Museum and the front office of Angels’ Stadium in Anaheim will have drop-off boxes from Saturday through Dec. 24.

Magical Builders team lead Tammy Porter passes out pajamas at Angels Foundation Kids Holiday Party at Angels Stadium in 2022.

(Courtesy of Christy Frank)

Items donated will go toward more than 20 nonprofits in the area, including the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange County, Casa Teresa and the Orangewood Foundation. Some will also go toward the Angels Baseball Foundation’s annual kids’ holiday party, which gives back to local families affiliated with the Anaheim Family YMCA, its Boys & Girls Club, Project Access, Family Forward and others.

“The Angels Baseball Foundation is excited to team up with Magical Builders’ Jamma Jingles for the 13th year in a row. The Jamma Jingles’ donations will be gifted to kids in need throughout Orange County. Let’s give back to the community this holiday season!” Adam Cali, manager of foundation and community initiatives at Angels Baseball Foundation, said in a statement.

Frank, who started Magical Builders with her husband, Jon, said holding the drive became a family tradition at least two years before the nonprofit started.

She said when the effort began 20 years ago their three daughters — Madeline, Makenzie and Abigail — were very young.

“We were talking, as many families do, about the holidays in other situations in the world ... [the girls] wanted to give their gifts to children, so my husband and I turned this into a concept,” Frank said. “The first two years, we collected toys. We collected a couple thousand the first and second year.

From left to right, Makenzie, Abigail and Madeline Frank, pose for a picture inside of a truck meant to drop off pajamas to a local nonprofit in 2007.

(Courtesy of Christy Frank)

“But after the second year, we saw there were a lot of toys and the people running distribution asked, ‘Would you ever consider donating something different than toys?’ Having a family of young children, we then thought about books and pajamas. Every child needs books and some jammies. For children in foster care or group homes, it’s sometimes the last thing that they’re given. Knowing and feeling loved and comforted while you’re going to bed, that’s important.”

This year’s drive is being conducted in collaboration with the Angels Baseball Foundation, the Scout Guide Newport Beach, Snell & Wilmer and Balboa Island Museum.

Last year, the nonprofit collected a little over a thousand pairs of pajamas. Frank confirmed Wednesday that the number collected so far this year is somewhere in the hundreds. As Newport Beach residents, the Franks decided to host the drive this year at the Balboa Island Museum to celebrate the 20-year milestone. She said it is a “very magical and a family-friendly place to spend a morning and afternoon.”

The event is open to the public.

Mater Dei High School song leaders and coaches organize donated pajamas to be delivered to children in the community. Mater Dei’s collection drive is ongoing.

(Courtesy of Christy Frank)

Monetary donations are also being accepted through Venmo, and all pajama sizes are welcome.

“I think the importance of [the drive] is just everyone enjoys the gift of giving. That is to be able to collaborate and work together with other families, friends, donors and do something good for the community during the holidays. It’s a wonderful time to spread cheer,” Frank said. “We’ve had some other stores want to donate big allotments of pajamas, but it’s really a feel good holiday. It doesn’t cost much to buy a book or a pair of pajamas, and it’s a nice gift to someone who doesn’t have much.”