As the leaves fall from the trees, children are preparing to leave the classroom for Thanksgiving break, and most are bracing themselves for the coveted Macy’s parade.
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Toys for Tots has distributed its donation bins so that people struggling financially will have a Christmas that many Americans take for granted.
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Last year, the organization—run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve—collected nearly 58,000 toys for 30,000 registered children. However, as the economy suffers, so do American families when it comes to providing presents for their children, so there will be an influx of kids in need this year.
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Anyone considering donating should look into buying board games and sports-related materials for the preteen category typically overlooked in the donation bins. Dolls and educational materials work for youngsters. People who can’t think of a present to donate can give money at Holloway’s Christmas Trees or Vons in Nipomo.
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Toys for Tots has been around for about 62 years and has benefited more than 188 million children and delivered 400 million toys nationwide.
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The donation bins will be spread throughout the community of Nipomo until Christmas Day. For the exact locations—or if business leaders are interested in having a bin in their establishment—visit toys4totscentralca.org.
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Intern Henry Houston compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 19-26, 2009.
