Heslam: Deployment leaves Toys for Tots program struggling

The deployment of local Marines and this year’s shortened holiday season is threatening to ruin Christmas for needy children across Boston as donations to the cherished “Toys for Tots” program have plummeted.

“We’re very desperate,” said Marine Staff Sgt. Jonathan Chan, who runs the Marine Corps Greater Boston’s “Toys for Tots” campaign, one of the largest in the country. “It’s no secret that the Greater Boston area is certainly in need when it comes to less fortunate children.”

Last Christmas, “Toys for Tots” gave 183,000 toys to 71,000 local kids, Chan said. So far this season, they’ve given 50,000 toys to local boys and girls, nowhere near the 150,000 requests for toys they’ve received.

Early this year, Chan lost a big bulk of his workforce when the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines out of Fort Devens was deployed. In past years, those Marines picked up toys at more than 600 drop-off locations around Boston and brought them to the “Toys for Tots” warehouse at 21 Drydock Ave. This year, Chan needs volunteers to pick up those toys. Volunteers are also needed to count, sort, load and unload toys.

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  BOSTON, MA. - DECEMBER 9: Bill Norton and Jim Hearn from Kevin for Kids, help organize toys they donated for Toys for Tots on December 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

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  BOSTON, MA. - DECEMBER 9: Coordinator for Toys for Tots, Marine Staff Sergeant Jonathan Chan who is looking for donations, stands amongst the empty boxes on December 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

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  BOSTON, MA. - DECEMBER 9: Toys for Tots volunteer, Jane Green helps organize donated toys on December 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

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  BOSTON, MA. - DECEMBER 9: Jim Hearn and Bill Norton from Kevin for Kids, help organize toys they donated for Toys for Tots on December 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

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  BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 9: Boston Mayor Martin Walsh rings a bell for the Salvation Army at Downtown Crossing on December 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Angela Rowlings/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

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  BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 9: A woman makes a donation to the Salvation Army at Downtown Crossing on December 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Angela Rowlings/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

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At the warehouse Monday, dozens of giant cardboard boxes used to store toys were empty. As Chan looked out at the sprawling floor, he recalled how it was overflowing with toys by this time last year.  “It was full,” said Chan, who called the donation drop frustrating. “The upper back wall was covered in a mountain of bags that were all full of toys ready to go to kids.”

Over the weekend, Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted a photo of the almost bare warehouse and wrote: “Help us fill their warehouse ASAP so that all children in Boston can have a gift to open.”

Bill Norton of Weymouth has been donating toys for a decade in honor of his late partner, Kevin McLean. On Monday, Norton delivered 2,651 toys collected at his annual “Kevin for Kids” benefit. “I’m heartbroken,” Norton said of the Boston program’s donation plunge. “I’m afraid a child’s not going to get a toy this year.”

Volunteer Pat Morrissette, 86, who served in the Women Marine Reserves, has had to tell organizations they can’t yet meet their toy requests. “You feel their need,” she said.

STRIVE Boston helps young adults — many of whom have young children — find jobs, and is among the many organizations that count on “Toys for Tots.”

“The only thing they’re thinking of is putting food on the table and providing a roof over their children’s head,” said STRIVE office manager Kathy Traylor. “When it comes to having toys under the tree for their children, it means a great deal to them.”

To donate or volunteer visit the Toys for Tots site.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/341vUBn