New York’s statewide collection is accepting toys, coats and school supplies, with a Mohawk Valley drop-off at the Utica State Office Building.
The New York Holiday Drive is open through Friday, Dec. 4, giving Mohawk Valley residents a local place to donate items for families in need. The Utica collection point is the Utica State Office Building at 207 Genesee Street. A second regional site is available at the Homer Folks Facility, 28 Hill Street in Oneonta.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the 2026 drive on Nov. 3. The annual effort, coordinated by the New York State Office of General Services, collects approved donations at state buildings and sends them to community-based organizations that serve families across New York.
“A little generosity can go a long way,” Hochul said in the announcement. OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy also encouraged New Yorkers to take part, saying in substance that every contribution can help a neighbor feel supported during the holiday season.
New York Holiday Drive: dates and accepted donations
Statewide collection sites are accepting donations from Nov. 2 through Dec. 4, 2026. Capital Region sites will remain open through Dec. 11. The state’s current accepted-item list includes:
- New, unwrapped toys
- New or gently used coats
- School supplies, including backpacks, lunch boxes, pencils, pens, notebooks, binders and folders
The 2026 list does not include food. Food was part of the 2025 drive, but residents should follow the current year’s instructions and not assume last year’s list still applies. Wrapped gifts are also not listed. Keeping toys unwrapped helps participating organizations sort donations for children by age and need.
Where Mohawk Valley residents can donate
The closest announced collection site for Utica-area residents is:
Utica State Office Building
207 Genesee Street
Utica, NY
The other Mohawk Valley location is:
Homer Folks Facility
28 Hill Street
Oneonta, NY
The state’s announcement does not publish building-specific donation hours. Anyone making a special trip should check state-office access and regular building hours before leaving home. The statewide deadline for in-person donations is Dec. 4.
Residents who work or travel outside the region may also use the Senator John J. Hughes State Office Building at 333 E. Washington Street in Syracuse or the Dulles State Office Building at 317 Washington Street in Watertown. The official state holiday-drive page lists all collection locations.
How to ship an online order
People who cannot visit a drop-off site may have an online order delivered to the state. Packages should arrive by Dec. 11 and be addressed exactly as follows:
Empire State Plaza
P1 South Dock J
Albany, NY 12242
NYS Holiday Drive
The shipping option is for goods ordered online. Donors should allow enough delivery time for a package to reach Albany by the deadline, and they should use the same 2026 accepted-item list when placing an order.
Why the Utica stop matters
A collection point on Genesee Street makes the statewide campaign accessible to people who live or work in central Utica. It also gives local groups and workplaces a simple way to combine smaller donations before the deadline.
Prior-year results show that the Mohawk Valley has played a significant part in the program. At the end of the 2024 drive, New York reported collecting 6,200 items statewide. Those donations included 4,719 toys, 588 coats and jackets, 489 school supplies, 190 other pieces of apparel and 214 additional items. The state credited the Utica-based Compassion Coalition with contributing 2,119 toys and 172 new coats that year.
The scale changed in 2025, when food was also accepted. New York reported 4,298 donated items and 2,250 pounds of food. Compassion Coalition contributed 1,295 pajamas and toys, according to the state’s year-end announcement. Those numbers describe completed prior-year campaigns. They are useful background, but they are not a forecast or total for the 2026 drive.
The state has not named the 2026 recipient organizations in its launch announcement. Donors should not assume an item left in Utica will remain in Oneida County. OGS says the collected goods will be distributed through community organizations serving families in need across the state.
How to prepare a useful donation
Choose items that match the current list
For toys, buy a new item and leave it unwrapped. For coats, choose a new or gently used garment that is clean, wearable and ready for another person. School supplies should be intact and practical for classroom or everyday use. Backpacks, lunch boxes, writing tools, notebooks, binders and folders are all specifically named by the state.
A donor who is unsure about an item should consult the governor’s Nov. 3 announcement or the current state drive page before buying or traveling. That is especially important for food, clothing other than coats, and any item not named in the 2026 instructions.
Make a group collection easy to sort
Workplaces, clubs and faith communities can share the official accepted-item list, select a collection deadline earlier than Dec. 4, and appoint one person to deliver the group’s donations. Keeping toys unwrapped and school supplies grouped by type can make the final handoff clearer. Groups should also avoid promising a specific recipient unless they have confirmed that information directly with the state or a participating community organization.
What happens after collection
OGS establishes and manages the state-building collection sites. In prior years, state agencies helped move donations from regional cities, including Utica, to community organizations. The organizations then distributed the goods to children and families. The 2026 launch says the same broad model will continue, but it does not provide a recipient list, a regional allocation formula or a public schedule for distribution.
That distinction matters for donors. The state is asking the public to supply useful goods, while local nonprofits use their knowledge of families and neighborhoods to handle distribution. It also means the public should rely on the state’s posted collection details rather than leaving donations outside a building or at an unannounced location.
Other ways to help locally
The Phoenix previously covered the 2024 launch of the state holiday drive and the 2024 collection results. Those stories show how the annual program has worked, but readers should use the dates and accepted items in this 2026 guide.
Residents seeking a separate faith-based gift program can also read about Mohawk Valley Operation Christmas Child collection plans. It is not part of the state drive and has different instructions, locations and deadlines. Families needing winter clothing may also find value in the Phoenix report on the Utica and Rome Coats for Kids drive, another separate local effort.
If this information could help a school, workplace or neighborhood group organize a collection, email the official drive information to the person who coordinates community service. Readers may also share experiences with the Utica drop-off in the comments, including building-access details that could help another donor. Do not post private information about recipient families.
