Toys for Tots drive seeking more donations amid coronavirus pandemic

Calling all Santas: The Toys for Tots drive is particularly low on donations this year, and officials are asking Bostonians to step up.

“Anything that can be provided this year, in the form of monetary donations or toy donations, will be greatly appreciated,” Marine Staff Sgt. Howard Brown told reporters on Thursday. “It’s not about us, and it’s not about looking good. It’s about doing good.”

The Marines run Toys for Tots every year, looking to give gifts to young people who might not otherwise be getting much for Christmas.

Brown said the drive is particularly short on toys for girls and older kids.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in-person toy drives are another casualty of the coronavirus, and at-work drives aren’t going to bring much in, as many people continue to work remotely.

“They need financial investment. They need donations,” Walsh said. “If you’re not gonna go shopping this year, if you could go to Toys for Tots and make a donation (online). They’ll go and buy the toys.”

Walsh said the city will put donation boxes at all of its firehouses and Boston Centers for Youth & Families buildings, and he said he hopes to add more locations on top of that.

“We need to work harder than ever to make sure Toys for Tots meets their goals,” Walsh said. “They’re low on toys, and they’re going to be low on toys the entire time because of the year we’re in.”

Walsh praised the annual drive, saying, “This doesn’t happen by magic, and it doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated volunteers in the United States Marine Corps.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2VwQRCm