LGBT grantmaking agency Delaware Valley Legacy Fund will spread its holiday cheer from a new venue this year.
Reading Terminal Market, 51 N. 12th St., will serve as the new host for DVLF’s TOY, 8-11 p.m. Dec. 1.
The event, now in its sixth year, raises funds for DVLF and amasses toy donations for children in the pediatric HIV/AIDS unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
DVLF vice chair Ron Lucente said the event outgrew its former host, Marketplace Design Center.
“Our numbers have increased so much every year that our previous space just didn’t accommodate us,” Lucente said.
The former venue got so crowded last year, he added, that the space felt too stuffy. At 24th and Market, it also was a bit removed from the Center City and Gayborhood areas, he said.
Paul Steinke, general manager at Reading Terminal Market, which can accommodate up to 2,000 people, said the venue is a “fun and unique event location that’s centrally located adjacent to the Gayborhood” and can offer “an outstanding selection of food and beverage drawn from our famous merchants. We also see TOY as a way to support an important cause that’s connected to a vital part of the Market’s customer base, the city’s LGBT community.”
Steinke said Market director of catering Stormy Lundy, TOY committeemember, has been a driving force behind getting the event up and running at the new venue.
The 2011 TOY drew a record 500 people, and Lucente said he anticipates this year’s fundraiser will bring in an even larger crowd.
Tickets are $50 for general admission or $75 for a VIP package. To fuel early ticket sales and help organizers get a handle on headcount, new this year, all ticket prices will increase $10 after Nov. 18.
“The event launches the holiday season and there’s going to be a whole lot coming up and going on in the city with the holidays coming,” Lucente said. “So people should start thinking about it now and plan early.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dvlf.org.