A Labor of Love: How One Woman’s Toy Library Is Bringing Joy to South Bay Families
Morgan Lepore stands in her Redondo Beach driveway surrounded by a selection of toys from the South Bay Free Toy Library, which she runs entirely on donations and community support.
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. — Tucked away in North Redondo Beach, a small but impactful community resource is making a difference for local families. The South Bay Free Toy Library, run by mother of two Morgan Lepore, offers a rotating selection of toys at no cost, helping parents provide their children with new experiences without the burden of constant purchases.
But behind this generous service is a woman who has dedicated countless hours—and her own resources—to keeping the library running.
Lepore, a developmental therapist, started the toy library in 2022 after realizing the potential benefits of a toy-sharing system.
“I worked with children with special needs for about 15 years. I was a traveling therapist who had a car full of toys all the time," Lepore said. “Once I had my own kids, I ended up leaving work to stay at home with them, but you know how everybody does toy rotations—it was just better for development to have only a few at a time."
Lepore, whose children are now 6 and 3, saw an opportunity to share her collection with others.
“I asked online if anybody was interested in either a toy rotation or checking these out from me while I’m not using them, and I was surprised that so many people were interested," she said.
What started as a small lending system soon grew. At first, Lepore stored the toys in her garage and managed the pickups and drop-offs herself. Parents would reserve toys and retrieve them from a designated bin outside her home.
Morgan Lepore and her daughter play in a ball pit in their driveway, surrounded by toys from the South Bay Free Toy Library. Photo courtesy of Morgan Lepore
“It was really easily done. I used to have this big bin outside, and everybody would just let me know what they wanted to check out," she said. "I would get it disinfected and ready, and I would put it in the huge bin, and they would just come and pick it up."
As word spread, demand for the South Bay Free Toy Library increased. The convenience of borrowing rather than buying was appealing to many parents, especially those with young children who quickly lose interest in toys.
Tori Schrader, who has a 3-year-old son, appreciated how the library not only provided access to toys but also fostered a sense of community.
“It was such a good idea and such a great way to build community," Schrader said. “You get to know your neighbors, and it’s just such a thoughtful thing for Morgan to do for people she doesn’t even know."
Jessika Silva, a mother of a 4-year-old, was also one of the first parents to participate.
“My son was pretty small, and as you know, with little kids, they look at something in the store and they’re like, ‘I want that, I want that,’ and then you bring it home, and they play with it for 20 minutes, and then they never play with it again," Silva said.
The library provided families a way to introduce children to different toys without cluttering their homes with items that would be forgotten within weeks.
“I figured it would be a good opportunity for my son to be exposed to different toys, and I could figure out what he actually liked and what he would actually play with versus buying a bunch of toys and then having them sit there," Silva said.
As the number of families participating grew into the hundreds, managing pickups and drop-offs became increasingly complex. To streamline the process, Lepore transitioned to a delivery model, personally dropping off toys to families’ homes.
“[She started] delivering the toys to my front door," Silva said." She never asked for a penny of gas money. I offered many times to meet her somewhere, and she said, ‘No, no, no, I’m gonna drop them off.’ She has gone above and beyond."
To keep up with the growing demand, Lepore recently secured a storage unit to house the toys. However, she is still searching for a more permanent location—a local community center, public library, or other South Bay space that could serve as a designated pick-up and drop-off location.
She also hopes to keep the toy library free, but as she navigates this transition, she is considering a membership fee or donation-based model, with a sliding scale depending on what families can afford.
Gillian Loon, a mother of a 2 1/2-year-old, has also benefited from the toy library. She discovered it when her child was just six months old and has been using it ever since.
“I just go into her album and pick out toys I want to rent for him," Loon said. “She always picks up the toys when you're done with them, she cleans them, she replaces batteries if she needs to, and then she drops off the new batch of toys for you at your doorstep."
When Loon’s son turned one, she used the toy library to help with his birthday party.
“We had this big birthday party for him with like 10 other babies, and I just rented a bunch of toys from her for his birthday party. And it was like free entertainment for all the babies," she said.
While the toy library has become a valuable resource for families, it remains entirely dependent on Lepore’s dedication and the occasional donation.
“She does accept donations—things like disinfecting wipes, batteries, or money—but she never demands it. In the two years I’ve been renting from her, I think she’s only asked for donations once," Loon said.
Gillian Loon’s son plays in a ball pit at his first birthday party, where toys from the South Bay Free Toy Library provided free entertainment for him and his friends. Submitted photo.
Schrader also emphasized how selfless Lepore is in running the library.
“She’s just so kind—not only for the amount of stuff she lets you borrow, but just in general," Schrader said. “She’s really thoughtful, and the fact that she’s doing this for people she doesn’t even know is just so cool."
Lepore has also stepped in to support those in crisis. After the devastating fires in the Pacific Palisades, she collected, sorted, and distributed hundreds of donated toys to families who had lost their homes.
“My thought was, if I had lost my home with my kids and we had to go somewhere unknown to them, I would want something to bring them a little bit of joy," Lepore said. “I was like, I gotta get these kids some boxes of toys or something."
She personally coordinated donations and made sure the toys went directly to affected families, even reaching out to preschools that had burned down.
“There were two preschools that I had hauls of toys for," Lepore said. “And then just individual families—either a friend of a friend contacted me, or a nanny for a family that lost everything reached out."
A lively birthday celebration featuring toys from the South Bay Free Toy Library.
Alison Howell, a Redondo Beach mother, first connected with Lepore through the North Redondo Beach Buy Nothing Facebook community, a group focused on sharing and reusing household items instead of buying new. She has donated many of her children’s outgrown toys, knowing they would continue to be used by families in the community.
“Honestly, some of my closest friends in the area are friends that I met on Buy Nothing," Howell said. “It makes living in the area feel more like home. Coming from the Midwest, I was used to that sense of community. I never thought I would have that in Southern California, but I do. And a lot of that really did come from Buy Nothing."
Lucy Tseng, a mother of a 2 1/2-year-old, found the toy library at a critical time in her life.
“I originally found the toy library through one of the South Bay moms’ groups," Tseng said. “I was in the middle of a separation, finances were tight, and my space was limited. This is my first child, so I had no idea what toys she’d actually like. Everything I bought thrilled her for maybe two hours before she lost interest."
Tseng said borrowing toys gave her daughter access to enrichment activities without the financial burden.
“Being able to borrow toys, return them, and not waste money was amazing," she said. “And when I found out it was free, I was blown away. I was also so impressed that it was all managed by one person in her spare time. There’s no greater feeling of community than something like this."
Silva hopes more people will contribute.
“I usually give her a $40 gift card to Target or whatever as a thank-you," Silva said. “She never asks for anything in return—ever. I don’t know how she’s paying for the storage fees. I don’t know how she pays for all these extra toys. Honestly, I don’t know where she gets the time, energy, and funds to run this huge library without asking for anything in return."
Lepore has considered turning the library into a nonprofit to secure funding but is hesitant about adding barriers to access.
“I truly want all families to be able to afford it and access it," she said. “I’m not comfortable billing people or asking for payment."
Instead, she relies on the generosity of those who have benefited from the toy library to keep it going.
“I think we need people like her right now," Silva said. “She’s amazing."
For those looking to support the South Bay Free Toy Library, donations of supplies or financial contributions can help keep the program running. Lepore recently set up a Venmo account to make donations easier, and community members can reach out directly for ways to assist.
For those who wish to support the South Bay Free Toy Library, donations can be made via Venmo or Givebutter.
Join the toy library here: Facebook Group
