A gray, cold, and gray Saturday didn’t stop volunteers from sorting books and toys to give gifts to children from Elkhart County for this year’s Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, according to a report by Goshen News.
Grand Design RV was the host of the event at their Elkhart facility. The event started getting started at around 9:30 a.m.
After collecting at various collection points throughout the county, books and toys were taken at Grand Design, where volunteers sorted them before the distribution days took place on December 17-18.
A child count, in conjunction with a toy count, will decide the number of toys each child will receive, and at minimum, one book per child, and any leftover donations will go to local ministries.
Wes Young, who had organized the event over the last five years and has been engaged with organizing the Elkhart County program since 2013 in DuPage County, Illinois, said the event was a “last big hurrah” since Saturday was the final day that the program could accept donations this year.
“We have more toys than we’ve had in a couple of years,” Young said shortly before 10 a.m. “We’ve been quite busy.”
Cassie Guffey of Grand Design coordinated the event at the company side and was on hand helping out Saturday.
“There’s a lot of people donating this year,” Guffey said. “It’s awesome. It’s nice to see that in a downturn, people still have it in their hearts to give.”
Young said that The Elkhart Area Marines MCL sponsors the program, but the volunteers need to be working directly for them. Even though Saturday was the final day to donate for the Christmas season, donations for next year’s holiday season can be delivered to Grand Design, 5200 Hoffman St.
To learn more, visit www.toysfortots.org or www.elkhartareamarines.com/toysfortots.
