Donation drive provides needy children with toys.
MARQUETTE -- Most people take it for granted that there will be presents under the tree on Christmas morning, but for those who are struggling to make ends meet, that's not always the case. Less fortunate families are often besieged by winter bills, which means that their children often don't receive gifts for Christmas.
That's where Toys For Tots comes in, a program that was started by a Marine in 1946 to ensure that every child had something to unwrap at Christmas.
"It kind of boggled my mind when I first got into this how many children were in need of toys at Christmas," said Bob Bannan, Toys For Tots coordinator for the Lake Superior Marine Detachment League.
Since its inception, the program has been adopted by the Marine Corps to provide gifts for millions of children across America. In Marquette County, Marines have been participating for fifteen years, helping hundreds of families along the way.
"We started out...our first collection was somewhere around 300 toys," Bannan said. "Last year we were able to distribute toys to 773 children, and 4,300 presents were distributed."
Collection cans and the familiar toy boxes will be displayed in 30 businesses in Marquette County starting this weekend for cash donations and new and unwrapped toys. Donations will later be collected by the St. Vincent de Paul Society to be distributed to needy families this holiday season. Organizers think that with our nation's current financial state, there will be more need than ever this year.
The donation drive runs through December 22, and they've added something new this year. Donations can be made via text message on your wireless phone by texting the word "toy" to the number 9099.
For a complete listing of local donation locations, you can go to the Toys For Tots Web site at www.toysfortots.org
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC