Group hoping Valley steps up
Nonprofit gave 132K gifts to 21K kids in Lehigh, Northampton counties in 2021
Last year, with the pandemic still casting a pall over everything, the Lehigh Valley shook off the blues and stepped up big for the Toys for Tots Allentown campaign.
By the time it was over the Valley’s chapter of the national toy drive was able to put about 132,000 toys, books and games into the hands of more than 21,000 children in Lehigh and Northampton counties — part of the most successful year in Toys for Tots history.
“We can’t say thanks enough,” said Marty Hacker of Catasauqua, a longtime volunteer for the Marines-sponsored event that aims to ensure every child gets at least one toy during the holidays.
“There was a lot of work and a lot of support from the Lehigh Valley.”
Hacker, a Marine veteran, has been serving in this particular mission for 38 years. And he’s hopeful the Valley will step up again this year.
Right now, though, with the toy collection boxes newly distributed at 200 sites across the region, he’s a little nervous, given retail inflation, high gas prices and the rest of it.
“We’ll feel better in about 10 days when we start picking up those boxes,” he said, adding that in a typical year some will be overflowing, some just half-full.
Whatever the size of the haul, the toys go to a central location to be sorted into the appropriate categories: boy, girl, toddler, tween and so on. They are sent on to local Salvation Army facilities, where they’re wrapped and handed out — two per child, if possible.
Hacker’s daughter, Kate Pammer, who followed her father into the organization’s volunteer ranks years ago, said the campaign kickoff dance Nov. 5 at the Northampton Community Center went well, with more than 500 tickets sold, and plans are in the works for a three-community donation push in early December.
Now it’s a matter of reminding residents to remember underprivileged children and maybe throw an extra toy or two into the Christmas shopping cart to donate. Donation boxes are marked with the organization’s whimsical train logo — the original version was designed by Walt Disney — and can be found in stores and businesses all over both counties. A list of sites can be found online.
“We’re successful by the help of our communities,” Pammer said.
Toys for Tots, both nationally and locally, has up and down years, but Americans seem to respond during the toughest times.
One of the most successful national drives in the organization’s history followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Last year’s record drive saw more than 22 million toys distributed to nearly 9 million children.
That was a relief after 2020, when pandemic restrictions prevented in-person fundraising events and hammered collection efforts at businesses.
Since its 1947 founding in Los Angeles by Marine Col. William L. Hendricks, Toys for Tots has distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million children.