Events raise funds, collect toys for annual Toys for Tots distribution
It was a cold morning on Black Friday this year, but that didn’t stop Matt Thurner and his wife from standing in the parking lot of the Five Below in Butler Commons for hours.
They weren’t waiting in line for deals, however. Instead, they stood next to a yellow school bus they hoped to stuff full of toys for Toys for Tots.
Thurner is coordinator for the Butler chapter of Toys for Tots, a program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that aims to distribute toys to children whose parents need assistance paying for gifts.
The organization primarily collects toys through physical drop sites — the small, white boxes with red lettering usually seen in businesses. More than 200 of those sites are scattered across the area this year.
Thurner noted year over year, the need for toys remains high across the chapter’s service area. Last year, the chapter had 1,100 registrants and ended up distributing 16,523 toys to 2,708 children.
He said on Sunday, Nov. 30, the number of registrants looked as if it would be about the same as last year’s, if not more.
“It’s a tremendous need,” Thurner said. “With the cost of everything rising and a limited price per item we’re allowed to spend, it’d be very hard to fulfill that need alone.”
But the organization is not entirely alone in its goal, as numerous other groups across the chapter’s service areas have developed their own drives and fundraisers for Toys for Tots.
Thurner said Thursday, Dec. 4, will feature two such supporting events: Al’s Bike Drive in Allison Park and the Chuck Swidzinski team’s annual gift drive.
The gift drive is hosted each year at the Brick House at 118 N. Main St. in Butler. It will run from 5 to 9 p.m. and feature hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The cost of admission is a new, unwrapped toy. Previously, the event has seen around 700 people attend each year, donating around 2,000 toys.
Al’s Bike Drive is run by Al Todd, who collects regular and adaptive bikes to be donated to three regional Toys for Tots chapters, including Butler.
“Last year, they were able to provide us about 250 bikes,” Thurner said.
Outside of events, he said other organizations choose to support through financial donations instead of hosting an event, such as Ollie’s, Westinghouse and Walmart’s Spark Good program.
“Westinghouse became a huge donor just this year. They’re hoping to donate over $5,000 in monetary funds over their campaign,” Thurner said.
Overall, he said support from the community, from direct donations to hosting a drop site, is an essential part of meeting the need in the area.
“Without community support and their diligence, we’d be very hard-pressed,” Thurner said. “They’re the ones actually out there right now making a difference for the families. It’d be very hard financially to put on this program without them.”
While the registration period to request toys from the program has closed, donations of toys and money are still accepted. More information regarding donations or the program can be found at butler-pa.toysfortots.org.
