Toys for Tots Needs More Toys

Hundreds of children throughout McHenry County will be unwrapping new toys on Christmas morning thanks to donations from area residents to the Toys for Tots program.

But the program still needs more toys to make Christmas happy for children in need this year.

The local McHenry County chapter hopes to collect 50,000 toys for area children, said organizer Lee Totman of the McHenry County Marine Corps League.

As of Dec. 18, the group still was 12,000 toys short, Totman said.

Over the weekend, he said, the league dropped many of its toys at The Salvation Army in Crystal Lake.

Still, he said, the league is in need of more.

Donation Boxes in Local Communities

Although the league had planned to pick up all of its Toys for Tots donations boxes by Dec. 17, it decided to leave some out around McHenry County with hopes the league could meet its goal of 50,000.

“We’ll see,” Totman said. “We’re hoping we can get there.”

People who want to help, Totman said, can find a box near them by logging onto www.toysfortots.org. Or, he said, they can drop them off at The Salvation Army, 290 W. Crystal Lake Ave., Crystal Lake.

Alternatively, he said, if you are in a store and see a drop box, pick up a toy or a few toys, and drop them into the box.

Last year, the McHenry County area surpassed its goal, and ended up sharing some of its supply with Kane County.

This year, he said, the league still hopes to meet its goal.

The league officially started collecting toys in October, with the majority of boxes going into the stores in November.

“Usually, we get busy right after Thanksgiving,” Totman said.

In late November and in December, the Marine Corps League volunteers empty the boxes three to four times per week as they start to fill up, he said.

During the holiday months, they have hundreds of boxes throughout the county, and 12 volunteers who pick them up in the various towns. The Marine Corps volunteers then sort them and give them to various charities around the county, Totman said.

“They help us deliver them to the kids that need them,” Totman said. “They go to the welfare agencies, and they have lists of kids in their organizations that need them.”

Usually, McHenry County is fortunate with the amount of donations it gets. Totman says he is in charge of collecting in the Huntley area, including Sun City.

Sun City residents, he said, have been very generous.

Often, residents hold neighborhood parties, even over the summer, and they double as toy drives for Toys for Tots.

Totman said neighborhood residents will call him up, say they’re having their neighborhood picnic, and that they want a box for Toys for Tots. They will collect many toys at those events, he said.

“They do help a lot,” he said.

For information on helping, about the program, or to find a spot to donate toys, go to www.toysfortots.org.