Toys for Tots Stung by Big Drop in Gifts

The Marine Corps, which boasts that it is “looking for a few good men” in its recruiting campaigns, would probably settle for a few good toys this Christmas season.

Donations to the Toys for Tots drive, which is sponsored by the Marines, are running far short of projections in Los Angeles County. A spokesman said the group has received less than a third of the toys requested by the agencies that pass them on to needy children.

“We are talking about a very large drop in donations,” said Master Sgt. Ken Lewis, who runs the Los Angeles County program. “And the drop-off occurred throughout the county.”

360,00 Requested

Nonprofit agencies that supply new toys to needy children in Los Angeles asked for more than 360,000 toys this year, according to Lewis. But with Christmas one week away and most of the major donations already in hand, the group has received fewer than 110,000 toys.

Lewis said that donations from major corporations, which usually supply the bulk of the toys, have dropped substantially. Many companies have stopped giving because of economic problems, according to Lewis, who added that toy donations by individuals are also down by about 20%.

“A lot of companies are having rough times,” Lewis said. “We don’t like to speculate . . . but it’s hard not to attribute our problems to the corporations.”

One former benefactor that cut back on its donations to the Toys for Tots program is the Broadway department store chain. The Broadway donated $350,000 worth of toys last year. This year, the company gave 60 stuffed bears valued at about $3,000. A Broadway spokeswoman said the company scaled back its donation because it is phasing out its toy division.

Toys for Tots officials in San Diego have also reported a large drop in donations this year. But in other areas the program appears to be meeting its goals. Capt. Mark Totman, who runs the Orange County center, said he expects to exceed his target of 30,000 toys this year.

Totman credits such major donors as the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove with making his program a success. “We got lucky,” Totman said. “The people here are very giving.”

Capt. Jay Nelson, who mans the national Toys for Tots headquarters in New Orleans, said he is puzzled by the situation in Los Angeles and San Diego, since most of the 210 Toys for Tots centers across the country are having a banner year.

“We have had a steady increase in donations for the past three years,” Nelson said. “So it would definitely be a counter-trend if there was a drop-off this year.”

Nelson said that Toys for Tots, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last month with a gala celebration in Los Angeles hosted by Bob Hope, depends on major corporations for about 40% of its donations nationally. Corporations play a much larger role in Los Angeles. Lewis said that he usually receives about 75% of his toy supply from big companies.

Susan Scribner, who runs a consulting firm for charities and foundations, said competition could be part of the problem in Los Angeles, since the city is a mecca for political fund-raisers, charity events and other causes. She said that public distrust of nonprofit groups in the wake of the scandal involving television evangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker could also be a factor.

Among those agencies hardest hit by the Los Angeles toy shortage is the Southwest Community Advisory Support Group. Daniel W. Smith, chairwoman of the nonprofit agency, requested 13,000 toys for distribution to needy children at elementary schools in Watts and other areas this year. But Lewis recently informed her that she may receive only 1,000.

“We were told that they haven’t been getting their usual number of toys in,” Smith said. “So we have been hoping and praying that they will arrive. If not, we’ll just have to tell the kids that we don’t have them.”

Lewis said his office will continue to accept and distribute any toys that come in. Anyone interested in donating toys to the program can contact the nearest Marine Corps Reserve training center.