Toys for Tots Is Busier Than Ever
This is the busiest time of the year at Toys For Tots (www.toysfortots.org) whose mission is to “bring the joy of Christmas to America’s needy children.”
Not only are folks who may have donated in the past now seeking assistance from the 63-year-old organization but also many of the Marines who help distribute toys are deployed right now.
They need you.
Either through donations of toys or cash or volunteering with collecting, sorting or distributing, you can help bring Christmas to a family who needs help. Donate toys now through December 5th and cash until Christmas Eve.
Vice President of Marketing and Development Bill Grein, himself a retired officer in the Marine Corps, tells Family First they especially need gifts for pre-teens and early teens such as hairdryers, curling irons, watches and clock radios.
Grein says because of their name, many give toys for ”tots” or young kids like dolls and toy trucks. The pre-teen/teen crowd wants to be able to go back to school after Winter Break and say “I got” something for Christmas too.
According to Grein, there are 14 million children who need help and this number has increased by over one million in the past couple of years. Toys for Tots does very little promotion which helps keep their margins as tight as possible so they can spend their money on toys, book and other gifts for kids.
For every $1 given to Toys for Tots, $.97 goes to help buy toys. The other three cents goes to administrative costs and such. This margin is simply amazing and is the mark of a very efficient organization and an effective way to give your donation dollars.
There are 713 Toys for Tots programs nationwide, most run by the local Marine Reserve units and all major markets have one. Besides dropping toys there or at a Toys for Tots drop box, several national businesses are offering to take donations.
At Toys R Us, Pier One, Build a Bear and Family Dollar stores, you can add $1 or more to your final total and make a donation through your purchase. What a simple way to help make a difference this year when you are shopping for your own family.
In 2009, Grein says they helped over 7.4 million kids (or slightly half of all the kids who needed assistance). The only requirement is financial – people who qualify for assistance must be living at or below the poverty level.
If you wish to apply for assistance you can seek that through your local location link here. Please note: Family First cannot help you sign up – you must contact Toys for Tots directly.
Be sure and watch the Hallmark Channel on the evening of December 10th when the Hollywood Christmas Parade will air. This two-hour special features Toys for Tots and will really help get you in the holiday spirit!
Please visit the Toys for Tots website to learn more about this wonderful organization started in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks and his local Marine Reservists in Los Angeles, California. Celebrities such as Bob Hope, John Wayne, Doris Day, Lorrie Morgan, Tim Allen, Kenny Rogers, Billy Ray Cyrus, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Shaquille O’Neal have supported Toys for Tots.