New Toys For Tots Chief Sees Higher Need This Year
December 1, 2021 at 12:00 a.m.
New Toys For Tots Chief Sees Higher Need This Year
By David [email protected]
Since the Toys for Tots program kicked off in Kosciusko County (and Whitley County) in 1990, retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. David Morales has served as the local coordinator. Morales first became involved with the Toys for Tots program in 1988, he said. This year, Chris Cage, from Willie 103.5, is taking over as coordinator, though Morales is assisting to make it a smooth transition.
“It’s my first year of taking over from Dave Morales, who stepped aside. It’s an amazing thing, but it’s a lot” of work, Cage said in an interview from inside the Toys for Tots RV parked outside of Meijer Monday.
This week, Willie 103.5 is doing its annual toy drive, which the radio station has done for about 15 years, Cage said. “And, basically, we set up all week long and fill up a trailer/RV full of times to add to the total that comes in from all of the other drop-off locations, including the WNDU toy drive on Saturday. The more toys we collect, the better.”
Willie 103.5 is at Meijer 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day this week, but there will be Toys for Tots boxes inside the store so people can still buy new, unwrapped toys and put them in the boxes to donate after hours.
There also are plenty of other locations to drop off toys, Cage said.
In the Warsaw area, the following businesses are drop-off areas, according to the website: Martin’s, Menards, Walmart, R.P. Home & Harvest of Warsaw (formerly Stock & Field and formerly Big R), CVS, Walgreens, Monteith Tire, WRSW and Willie radio stations, The Village Shops at Winona, any fire department, Shear Envious Salon, Warsaw Orthodontics, Meijer, McAlister’s, all Freedom Express (Family Express) gas stations, Side House Grill, Why Pay Retail, Glam, Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, Akzo Nobel and Lake City Place.
In Kosciusko County, the drop-off sites are Miotto’s Main Street Pizza in Milford, Revolving Closet in Syracuse, Todd Realty in Syracuse and Parker-Hannifin Corp. in Syracuse.
In Marshall County, drop off toys at Indiana Wheel Co., Plymouth; all Bowen Center locations in Plymouth; and Bane-Welker Equipment in Plymouth.
Last year, Cage said, they had 7,797 toys distributed, helping out 2,820 kids. “We’re expecting the need to be even bigger this year,” Cage said, for many reasons, including the economy. “We know it’s going to be a big number this year.”
Registration and sign-ups are this week, through Friday, and are done completely online. Log on to toysfortots.org and follow the prompts to the Kosciusko and Marshall counties webpage.
“Because of everything going on, we did it last year, with COVID and everything. It just worked out really well, actually. So we just decided, with stuff still going on, it’s improving, but the easiest way to do it is to do it online again,” Cage stated.
This Saturday, from 7 to 10 a.m., WNDU will broadcast the toy drive at Martin’s. Volunteers from the local program will be on hand until 11 a.m. The Kosciusko County Fireman’s Association will deliver their collections during the broadcast, and, Cage said, “I know there’s a couple of other big organizations planning to come down on Saturday, as well. The choir is going to be there to perform again. We’re praying for good weather.”
Then on Dec. 11 at the Lakeview Middle School auditorium, Susie McEntire returns with “A Country Christmas,” with special guests Linda Davis and Keenie Word Moore. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the concert starts at 7 p.m.
“Lots of sponsors get behind that, which is greatly appreciated,” Cage said. “That’s a free show. We just encourage you to bring a new, unwrapped toy and donate it to Toys for Tots that night.”
Deliveries for Toys for Tots will be made on Dec. 18, a week before Christmas. Cage said they would like to have the donations in by the Monday prior to the 18th to get them all sorted, bagged and distributed but they will accept toys up to the last minute.
The Family, Career, Community Leadership of America (FCCLA) at Warsaw Community High School is collecting for its Trinkets for Teens project again this year. It partners with Toys for Tots to provide Christmas presents for teens ages 13 to 18 in Kosciusko County. It has been giving gifts to teens with various community help since 2008, according to warsawschools.org.
In 2020, Trinkets for Teens handed out over 89 Christmas presents. This year, they are predicting the need will be over 100 teens.
Trinkets for Teens is collecting donations through Dec. 13. To sign up your teenager to receive a Christmas present from Trinkets for Teens, email [email protected]. To donate, call 574-527-4418 and ask for Dena Lancaster, advisor of FCCLA. Drop-off boxes also are located at WCHS main office and Warsaw Area Career Center main office. For more information, email [email protected].
Whether you want to provide a Christmas to young children or teens or both, Cage said all gifts are needed.
“Right now, it’s pretty much open to everything. We don’t have more of one thing, less of another. We will take everything we can get. We’ll find out more once we get sign-ups this week, and also, after we do that, the Toys for Tots organization actually will go out and supplement toys if we’re low on something. So we have that ability to do that. But right now, we’re just taking all age toys. The more, the merrier,” he said.
“We appreciate the help and the volunteers that come together and help with this. And all of our sponsors and everything. It makes it possible. Thanks to the community, whenever there’s a need, they always step up and fill it and we couldn’t do this without the community coming together and donating all of the toys and the monetary donations.”
Since the Toys for Tots program kicked off in Kosciusko County (and Whitley County) in 1990, retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. David Morales has served as the local coordinator. Morales first became involved with the Toys for Tots program in 1988, he said. This year, Chris Cage, from Willie 103.5, is taking over as coordinator, though Morales is assisting to make it a smooth transition.
“It’s my first year of taking over from Dave Morales, who stepped aside. It’s an amazing thing, but it’s a lot” of work, Cage said in an interview from inside the Toys for Tots RV parked outside of Meijer Monday.
This week, Willie 103.5 is doing its annual toy drive, which the radio station has done for about 15 years, Cage said. “And, basically, we set up all week long and fill up a trailer/RV full of times to add to the total that comes in from all of the other drop-off locations, including the WNDU toy drive on Saturday. The more toys we collect, the better.”
Willie 103.5 is at Meijer 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day this week, but there will be Toys for Tots boxes inside the store so people can still buy new, unwrapped toys and put them in the boxes to donate after hours.
There also are plenty of other locations to drop off toys, Cage said.
In the Warsaw area, the following businesses are drop-off areas, according to the website: Martin’s, Menards, Walmart, R.P. Home & Harvest of Warsaw (formerly Stock & Field and formerly Big R), CVS, Walgreens, Monteith Tire, WRSW and Willie radio stations, The Village Shops at Winona, any fire department, Shear Envious Salon, Warsaw Orthodontics, Meijer, McAlister’s, all Freedom Express (Family Express) gas stations, Side House Grill, Why Pay Retail, Glam, Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, Akzo Nobel and Lake City Place.
In Kosciusko County, the drop-off sites are Miotto’s Main Street Pizza in Milford, Revolving Closet in Syracuse, Todd Realty in Syracuse and Parker-Hannifin Corp. in Syracuse.
In Marshall County, drop off toys at Indiana Wheel Co., Plymouth; all Bowen Center locations in Plymouth; and Bane-Welker Equipment in Plymouth.
Last year, Cage said, they had 7,797 toys distributed, helping out 2,820 kids. “We’re expecting the need to be even bigger this year,” Cage said, for many reasons, including the economy. “We know it’s going to be a big number this year.”
Registration and sign-ups are this week, through Friday, and are done completely online. Log on to toysfortots.org and follow the prompts to the Kosciusko and Marshall counties webpage.
“Because of everything going on, we did it last year, with COVID and everything. It just worked out really well, actually. So we just decided, with stuff still going on, it’s improving, but the easiest way to do it is to do it online again,” Cage stated.
This Saturday, from 7 to 10 a.m., WNDU will broadcast the toy drive at Martin’s. Volunteers from the local program will be on hand until 11 a.m. The Kosciusko County Fireman’s Association will deliver their collections during the broadcast, and, Cage said, “I know there’s a couple of other big organizations planning to come down on Saturday, as well. The choir is going to be there to perform again. We’re praying for good weather.”
Then on Dec. 11 at the Lakeview Middle School auditorium, Susie McEntire returns with “A Country Christmas,” with special guests Linda Davis and Keenie Word Moore. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the concert starts at 7 p.m.
“Lots of sponsors get behind that, which is greatly appreciated,” Cage said. “That’s a free show. We just encourage you to bring a new, unwrapped toy and donate it to Toys for Tots that night.”
Deliveries for Toys for Tots will be made on Dec. 18, a week before Christmas. Cage said they would like to have the donations in by the Monday prior to the 18th to get them all sorted, bagged and distributed but they will accept toys up to the last minute.
The Family, Career, Community Leadership of America (FCCLA) at Warsaw Community High School is collecting for its Trinkets for Teens project again this year. It partners with Toys for Tots to provide Christmas presents for teens ages 13 to 18 in Kosciusko County. It has been giving gifts to teens with various community help since 2008, according to warsawschools.org.
In 2020, Trinkets for Teens handed out over 89 Christmas presents. This year, they are predicting the need will be over 100 teens.
Trinkets for Teens is collecting donations through Dec. 13. To sign up your teenager to receive a Christmas present from Trinkets for Teens, email [email protected]. To donate, call 574-527-4418 and ask for Dena Lancaster, advisor of FCCLA. Drop-off boxes also are located at WCHS main office and Warsaw Area Career Center main office. For more information, email [email protected].
Whether you want to provide a Christmas to young children or teens or both, Cage said all gifts are needed.
“Right now, it’s pretty much open to everything. We don’t have more of one thing, less of another. We will take everything we can get. We’ll find out more once we get sign-ups this week, and also, after we do that, the Toys for Tots organization actually will go out and supplement toys if we’re low on something. So we have that ability to do that. But right now, we’re just taking all age toys. The more, the merrier,” he said.
“We appreciate the help and the volunteers that come together and help with this. And all of our sponsors and everything. It makes it possible. Thanks to the community, whenever there’s a need, they always step up and fill it and we couldn’t do this without the community coming together and donating all of the toys and the monetary donations.”
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