ROCHELLE — On Thursday, Dec. 12, Small Business Bingo made a donation of toys to the Community Action Network for its annual Shopping Trip. 

The CAN Shopping Trip takes place each holiday season and provides a meal, coats, shoes and a shopping trip for families in need in the community. At its Dec. 5 event, Small Business Bingo hosted a toy drive. Players could donate a toy in exchange for another raffle entry, Small Business Bingo Founder Ashley Patrick said.  

“We had a really good response,” Patrick said. “I chose this cause because I didn't realize until recently how many families they took on the shopping trip. I knew it was a big thing and I want our events to give back to the local community as much as possible. You need to start with your own community first when you're trying to help and make change. There's a great need for this shopping trip and they don't always have the wiggle room for some of the extra fun stuff like toys. I wanted to provide that.”

Patrick said she’s thankful to the Small Business Bingo patrons that not only come out to play for a good cause, but also donate a little extra. 

“Even though we're already asking people to come out and play bingo and support nonprofits, people were also willing to support this and our food drives,” Patrick said. “People have been super receptive to doing a little bit extra to help spread more funds around.”