The original logo, drawn when Honor was 7
Holidays
2009-2017
The three Torrance siblings - Darwin, Honor, and Ellesmere - started Wagon Full of Happiness as a holiday toy drive for underprivileged children around Kansas City. They came up with the idea when a homeless mother approached our car in a parking lot, asking for money. They asked their parents why she needed to do this, and they tried to explain that some people were less fortunate than others, and sometimes needed help. They decided that Christmastime might be especially challenging for struggling families and that donating toys might make the season just a little bit happier.
2018
In the winter of 2018, they decided to refocus Wagon Full of Happiness on refugee children separated from their families. It seemed to them that their situation was especially desperate, in part because they would spend the holidays without their loved ones. As before, they thought toys at Christmas might brighten their day just a bit. They delivered the donated toys to an organization located in Topeka, Kansas that was caring for refugee children from Central America.
2021
As the winter of 2021 began, Darwin realized that the holiday season would be very difficult for many families across Kansas City. In addition to his non-holiday drives, gathering donations for Giving the Basics, Darwin also put together gifts for underprivileged children. The bags full of toys and books were then delivered to Shawnee Community Center, where they were distributed to those who need some extra holiday cheer this year.
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2022
In past years, Wagon Full of Happiness has focused on helping children, refugees, the homeless, and the hungry. This holiday season, Ellesmere decided to help shelter animals. In consultation with Great Plains SPCA, she used a substantial portion of her summer earnings to gather and donate various animal care items including food, toys, leashes, lick pads, a cat scratch pad, and a transportation kennel to brighten their holidays.
2023
Continuing the long tradition of Wagon Full of Happiness, Ellesmere donated to a worthy cause. Now a seasoned volunteer at the shelter, she decided to donate to Great Plains SPCA again. This year, the shelter was in specific need of sheets and blankets, paper towels, peanut butter, newspaper, and canned dog food. To meet this need, Ellesmere collected these items and drove them to the shelter bring comfort to the shelter animals still looking for forever homes over the holiday season.
Pandemic Response
2020
In 2020, during the first summer of the coronavirus pandemic, Darwin decided to expand the scope of Wagon Full of Happiness in light of the terrible situation many families found themselves in during the pandemic. With Honor at college, Darwin assumed leadership of operations and organized a neighborhood drive of personal hygiene supplies for the organization Giving the Basics, a Kansas City based charity established to making sure people have personal health items that they need. Through this drive, Darwin, with the help of his neighbors, gathered over 800 items to donate.
2021
In the summer of 2021, with the pandemic still ongoing, Darwin decided to organize another drive. Following the success of the previous year's drive in gathering hygiene and cleaning supplies for those in Kansas City who needed them most, Darwin again gathered hundreds of self-hygiene supplies, and delivered them to Giving the Basics once again.