Gifts Galore : Appeal Brings Rush of Toys for Tots

After weeks of dismally low donations, the Marine Corps on Thursday reported a sharp increase in gifts to its famous Toys for Tots program.

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A day after making an appeal, Staff Sgt. Michael Diaz said thousands of items were suddenly arriving at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, where donations this year had been off by 50%.

“We’ve been inundated with so many calls,” Diaz said. “People are driving right up to the barracks.”

He expected 8,000 toys to arrive by day’s end, but even so, Diaz feared that donations would still fall 24,000 short of the program’s 57,000-toy goal. The Marines turn the gifts over to 91 social service agencies and churches, which in turn distribute the items to needy children.

The drive continues through today, and several hundred specially marked red, green and yellow barrels for toys have been placed around Orange County.

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In response to the Marines’ request for more donations, an Irvine computer software company donated $5,000 worth of gifts, an Irvine sporting goods store gave 3,000 playground balls and a Laguna Niguel trading firm wrote out a $3,000 check.

“We looked at it and we were kind of shocked actually,” Diaz said of the check. “If we’re good shoppers, we can buy 600 to 700 toys with the money.”

Diaz was excited by the arrival of so many gifts, saying, “the warehouse is in a state of chaos, but it’s a good type. It seems like the morale (of Toys for Tots volunteers) is so much higher.”

Some gift-givers who contacted the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center, where donations were down 40%, were referred to El Toro.

A last-minute push is also on at South Coast Plaza, Laguna Hills Mall and the Tustin Marketplace. For more information, call (714) 726-6746 or the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center, (310) 795-2389.

While things were looking up for the 48-year-old Toys for Tots program, officials at Operation Santa Claus said Thursday that they are facing a toy shortage.

“It’s been horrendous. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Joanne Noyes, who coordinates the countywide program run by the Social Services Agency.

Operation Santa Claus distributes gifts to children up to age 17, many of whom live at Orangewood Children’s Home or other group and foster homes. The program gave out presents to 16,000 children last year.

“It was four gifts a child last year. Now we’re down to one gift a child,” Noyes said, adding that some children might not get anything.

Donations may be dropped off at any local fire station or at the Orangewood Children’s Home at 401 S. The City Drive, in Orange.

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Orange County Rescue Mission officials said that they will hand out a surplus of about 7,000 donated toys on Saturday.

Executive Director Jim Palmer said that anyone “homeless or poverty-stricken” is invited to share in the rescue mission’s unexpected bounty.

The rescue mission is at 1901 W. Walnut St., in Santa Ana.

Times staff writer Robyn Norwood contributed to this report.