The Grayson County Toys for Tots program is currently 35,000 toys short of its goal for the year, and the organization is concerned.
While they usually have bins overflowing with stuffed animals and toys for children in need at this point in the collection process, they’ve currently only been able to collect about four boxes of donations so far.
Although it’s not uncommon for people to postpone thinking about Christmas until after the Thanksgiving holiday, Taylor Price (Toys for Tots Coordinator overseeing the Grayson and Fannin County chapters) believes a combination of the recent government shut-down, increased cost of living and the U.S. economy have impacted those who typically give.
Toys for Tots began in 1947, when the wife of U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks asked her husband to find an organization for children in need to whom they could donate her handcrafted dolls. When he couldn’t find such an organization, his wife urged him to start one. That year, Hendricks and the Marines in his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys.
Seeing the success of these efforts, the Commandant directed all Marine Reserve Sites to implement a Toys for Tots campaign, transforming the movement into a national community action program in 1948.
As a civilian, Hendricks served as Director of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Studios. He asked many of his celebrity friends to help support the newly-created Marine Toys for Tots Program. As a personal favor, Hendrick’s friend Walt Disney deigned the first Toys for Tots poster, which included a small three-car train that was subsequently adopted as the Toys for Tots logo. The nonprofit Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was established in 1991.
The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program begins local toy collection campaigns in October and they last until mid- to late-December (when toy distribution takes place). Community members drop off new, unwrapped toys in collection boxes placed in local businesses. Coordinators pick up those toys and store them in central warehouses where items are sorted by recipient age and gender. Those coordinators, with the assistance of local social welfare agencies and church groups, distribute the toys to the economically disadvantaged children of the community.
While Toys for Tots coordinators organize and manage the campaign, the ultimate success of the program depends on the support of the local community and the generosity of the people who donate items. It also relies on the support of local businesses and national corporations who make donations or help conduct cause marketing campaigns. All of this helps to provide higher visibility and name recognition for Toys for Tots.
Families in Grayson County can request a toy by completing an application form on the Toys for Tots website at denison-tx.toysfortots.org. To qualify, families must meet eligibility requirements, which typically include being a parent or guardian of a child 12 years or younger, residing in the local campaign’s service area and providing proof of income, residency and children’s ages. While the application deadline had originally been set to Dec. 10, it has been bumped up to Dec. 5 due to low donor participation.
Since 1947, Toys for Tots has served more than 314 million children and distributed more than 708 million toys. Last year, the organization had its most successful year, providing 30 million toys, books and other gifts to nearly 13 million economically disadvantaged children. Unfortunately, the program may not be quite so successful this year.
There are currently more than 90 drop-off locations in the county. To find one near you, visit www.denison-tx.toysfortots.org > programs > find your local chapter. To donate money to the cause, visit https://secure.toysfortots.org/a/donatetoday
Christmas is less than a month away. Please consider helping to provide hope and joy to area children this holiday season.
