As the holidays pass us by, we move on to the season of joy and gift-giving, which is also the time for Toys for Tots.
While December brings snow, family, and food, it’s also a time for thoughts of gifts and presents and kids going to bed early in hopes that Santa has brought them all they wished for. For some families however, this may be a harder vision to deliver.
For less fortunate families, the ability to afford gifts for their children is harder than some of us can imagine, and for these children waking up on Christmas to nothing is a reality. Toys for Tots was created as a way to bring donated gifts to families who otherwise wouldn't be able to buy them.
While Toys for Tots has been around since 1947, the toy drive has “been here at Wright since the early 90’s,” said Wright College Veteran’s club member Marvin Soto-Perez.
George Arcilla, another member of the Wright College Veterans club, started doing Toys for Tots as a young Marine and continues to take part in the drive here at Wright. “I once delivered toys to kids in a native American Tribe at the bottom of the grand canyon by helicopter,” shared Arcilla.
According to Soto-Perez, the Toys for Tots drive is held from November 13 to December 15. There are boxes around Wright with the Toys for Tots logo on them. If you would like to donate all they ask is that the toys are unused and unwrapped. “Even just a dollar store item can make a difference,” added Arcilla.
The Veterans club also has other drives they do, including clothing drives. “We just finished a clothing drive where there was so much donated that we couldn't even deliver it all at once,” Arcilla explained. If you are interested in donating to these drives you can deliver your items to the boxes around the campus center or the Veterans club in room S132.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and cheer. For some children, you can be a factor in spreading that joy.