Officers, Boy Scouts, even Santa volunteered their time Friday, collecting money and toys in busy Hendersonville. Toys for Tots hopes to collect $10,000 and thousands of new, unwrapped toys so all kids have gifts at Christmas. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
Black Friday shopping will fill thousands of homes with Christmas gifts. But some families have a hard time keeping their budgets in the black this time of year.
That’s where the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign comes into play.
Officers, Boy Scouts, even Santa volunteered their time Friday, collecting money and toys in busy Hendersonville.
Toys for Tots hopes to collect $10,000 and thousands of new, unwrapped toys so all kids have gifts at Christmas.
“The thought of a kid waking up on my Lord and Savior’s birthday thinking nobody cares and nobody loves them, that’s just not going to happen,â€� Marine Corps Cpl. Larry Blackwell said.
The Marine Corps will warehouse and sort the gifts, then make sure they go to the right spots for families to collect.
“They can go to fire departments. They can go to churches. They can go to schools, Department of Social Services and fill out forms and requests. Then, they’ll come to us, and we’ll hand the toys out,â€� Staff Sgt. Wes Russell said.
The Toys for Tots campaign in Hendersonville runs again 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday.