Now that Thanksgiving is over and people have turned their attention to Christmas, it’s also time to start thinking about Toys for Tots. The annual toy drive with WNDU channel 16 is Saturday in the parking lot of the new city hall in downtown Warsaw. One or two of the station’s on-air news personalities are expected to be on hand from 7 to 10 a.m., but donations will be taken until about 11 a.m. “The goal is to make sure we take care of everyone,”said Warsaw Police Dept. Sgt. and former U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Dave Morales, the organizer for Toys for Tots in Kosciusko County. Sign-up for Toys for Tots is Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the WPD building behind the new Owen’s store off Center Street in Warsaw. Signs will be posted to guide people behind the building. Do not use the front lobby or park in the back. Times will be from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. each day. To fill out the application, you will need a picture ID. No grandparent or other relative may sign up their grandchildren unless they have full custody of them with documentation. Ages that may be signed up are babies to 17 years old. If a family is signed up with any other agency or church in the county, they can not receive help from Toys for Tots so that every child in the county will get a Christmas. Morales said the age group they usually run short on for toys are 1 to 5 years old and 12 to 17 years old. To help cover the gifts for teens, Warsaw Community High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America annually organizes Trinkets for Teens. “Last year we ended up with over 280 families that Toys for Tots alone served,” Morales stated. “We collected about 9,000 toys. We distributed about 8,000 toys. We had over 4,300 kids receive toys.” He also noted they received more than $1,300 in monetary donations last year. “With the assistance of Trinkets for Teens, it helps cover certain age groups, but we still run short of donations,” Morales said. New and unopened toys can be dropped off at various locations throughout Kosciusko County until Dec. 16. They will be delivered Dec. 21 starting at 8:30 a.m. A family receiving toys should make sure that someone will be home to receive them or make arrangements to pick them up prior to that date. Toy drop-off locations in Warsaw include both Owen’s stores, Martin’s Supermarket, Menard’s, Marsh Supermarket, Warsaw Police Department, CVS, Walgreen’s, WCHS and the Warsaw Community Schools administration building, Monteith Tire Center, Reneker’s Sports Shop, Big R, all Dollar General Stores, WRSW and Willie 103, Family Video, Best Deal Auto, Walmart, Copper River, Ruby Tuesdays, State Farm Insurance on Detroit Street, Village Pantry/Marathon gas station on South Buffalo Street and 1st Federal Savings Bank. Other locations in the county include Winona Lake Fire Department; CVS stores in Syracuse and North Webster; Dollar General Stores in Syracuse, Milford, Pierceton and Mentone; MutualBank, Syracuse; Family Dollar, Silver Lake; and Benson Communications, Syracuse. Locations for Trinkets for Teens include MutualBank, Center Street, Warsaw; Big R; Warsaw Community Church; both TCU branches and a moneybox is at Betty’s Cake Shop. The collection for Trinkets will go until Monday. Radio station Willie 103 is hosting its annual toy drive at Big R and Walmart this week. Today and Wednesday, the station will have a live remote at Big R from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Thursday and Friday, it will be at Walmart from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Morales said a number of companies like Biomet and Dalton’s are doing their own internal toy drive for Toys for Tots. He also knows of a few churches and clubs doing their own toy drives. “(I’m) just looking forward to the participation from community members. I hope to get donations to offset any shortages. Anyone who wants to volunteer to deliver toys can get ahold of me to deliver the toys Dec. 21,” he said. Volunteers who want to help deliver toys should be at the WPD complex before 8:30 a.m. The toys will be handed out to be delivered at the garage instead of the pole barn this year, he noted. “I thank the city for the use of their facilties and their continued support of this program,” he said. “I look forward to another successful year for Kosciusko County.” Anyone who wants to volunteer to help sort the toys also can contact Morales and he will get in touch with them about when that will happen. If someone wants to volunteer this Saturday at the toy drive, Morales said they also can get a hold of him or show up Saturday. “All of this is voluntary. It takes a lot of hours with family members and close friends to make this work. I appreciate the donations to take care of the kids in the community,” he said. For more information, email Morales at dmorales@warsaw.in.gov or call 574-549-4457; 574-372-9534, Ext. 341 and leave a voice mail; or call him directly at WCHS at 574-371-5099. The founder of Toys for Tots was the late Colonel William L. Hendricks, USMCR (Ret.). In the middle 1940s, Hendricks was the director of public relations for Warner Brothers Studio while a major in the Marine Corps Reserve. In fall 1947, he, with the assistance of members of his Marine Reserve Unit, collected and distributed toys to needy children of Los Angels, Calif. The first toy was a handmade doll crafted by Hendricks’ wife, Diane. His pilot project was such a success that the Marine Corps adopted it and expanded it nationwide in 1948. That year, Walt Disney designed the first Toys for Tots poster, which included a miniature three-car train that was subsequently adopted as the Toys for Tots logo. More information on Toys for Tots is available at toysfortots.org
