COUNTYWIDE : Holiday Treat: Helping Others : Marines Urging Toy Donations

The U.S. Marines hope that parents shopping for toys in Orange County remember other children who might not be on Santa’s list this Christmas.

The annual Toys for Tots program, run by the Marine Corps Reserve, provides Christmas presents to underprivileged children throughout the nation, said the Orange County program coordinator, Capt. William Fox. The toy collection, which has grown from 7,000 toys nationwide in 1947 to more than 7.5 million last year, has become a major operation, Fox said.

However, he said, the Marines want to emphasize that the presents are “local toys for local kids.” Gifts collected in Orange County go to children in the county.

“People can think of it as a Christmas gift to their community,” Fox said.

The Orange County operation collected more than 50,000 toys last year, Fox said.

The operation works like this: The Marines collect the toys from sites around the county and bring them to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to be sorted into groups that would appeal to different ages and sexes. The Feedback Foundation in Anaheim then acts as coordinator between the Marines and agencies that distribute the gifts, Fox said. Those agencies range from full-service charities to groups that specialize in education or medicine, Fox said. The Marines allow the agencies to determine the number of gifts they need, under the supervision of the Feedback Foundation.

Fox said the Marines are encouraging employees throughout the county to bring toys to their company Christmas parties, and Marines will pick them up.

People also can make donations at some shopping centers and at Marine Corps offices throughout the county.

Donated toys should be new and unwrapped--for sorting--and the Marines are asking that the toys be of at least $5 value, although they will accept any toy, Fox said. They do not accept cash donations.

For more information, call the El Toro Marine Reserves at (714) 726-6746.