Toys for Tots donations fall as need rises

Collections halved in Anne Arundel, Prince George’s

The Toys for Tots program is seeing a 20% increase in requests for assistance this year, but the number of collection boxes is down due to COVID-19, and as a result, so are donations.

The national program leads the collection and distribution of hundreds of thousands of gifts for underserved children at Christmas time. It is run by the United StatesMarine Corps Reserve.

Regional Coordinator and United States Marine Corps Reserves Major Pete Smith said they typically place the program’s signature white boxes at 240 businesses in Anne Arundel, and at about 700 in Prince George’s. But this year, because of COVID-19 restrictions, there are only about 120 boxes in Anne Arundel and about 400 in Prince George’s.

Restaurant employees and others who are out of work or low on hours due to restrictions need assistance this year, leading to a 20% increase in requests for toys. They are providing presents for about 2,000 families this year, Smith said.

The deadline for donations is next Friday when boxes from participating businesses will be collected. To find a location to drop off unwrapped toys, go to www.toysfortots.org. The program is also offering a virtual donation box, where donors can buy and donate a specific toy online, as well as an option for monetary donations.

Smith said theMarine Corps is ready to make up the donation shortfall, but they hope awareness of the issue could spur more community donations. He said at least people’s Christmas and holiday season can be taken care of this year.

Smith has been coordinating the effort in the region for a decade.

“The families still need it; that’s why I still do it,” he said.

In the Anne Arundel warehouse where they are collecting and dividing toys by age group, Smith said he has noticed that one prevalent theme is “The Child” aka “Baby Yoda” aka “Grogu,” a tiny green alien with big ears from the StarWars TV show The Mandalorian.

To keep volunteers safe, they are taking more time than usual to sort the presents with shifts of fewer workers to allow for social distancing.

In years past, they have delivered about 700 presents, and the majority of families have picked up gifts at Anne Arundel Community College, Smith said. This year they won’t use the community college because they don’t want people to assemble and will instead use a fleet of volunteer drivers to deliver all the toys.

A Glen Burnie church, i5 City, has been helping with the toy drive, Smith said. They are looking for more volunteers to assist with the delivery effort from9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 20, Smith said. To volunteer, sign up on the county’s Toys for Tots webpage.