‘Tis the season of giving, and Bellefonte High has put Toys for Tots bins out around the school during the Christmas season. Anyone can dropped off unwrapped toys to brighten a child’s day on Christmas morning. 

On December 4, Key Club went on a field trip to Walmart to buy toys and drop them off at different boxes around the school. 

“I brought in toys like Legos, board games, and craft kits. I chose these because Toys for Tots mentioned a need for items for ages 13–17, and I felt those would be fun and appropriate for that age group,” junior Abigail Haas said. 

Toys for Tots is seeking gifts for older kids, so taking a bunch of teenagers to Walmart was a big success. The High schoolers who went on the trip did a wonderful job buying all the right toys for all the right ages. 

Located just outside the Main Gate of Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia, about 35 miles south of Washington, DC, Toys for Tots is a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Program that collects and distributes unwrapped toys to children on Christmas (ToysforTots.org).  Their main goal is to bring joy to children’s faces on Christmas morning. 

“Toys for Tots is important to me because I believe every child deserves to have something of their own to enjoy during Christmas,” Abigail said.

Toys for Tots began when Diane Hendricks made dolls and had no children to give them to. Her husband, a Marine Corps veteran, Bill Hendricks, started Toys for Tots. 

Each year, 5,000 toys were collected from his fellow Marine Reservists. After the program’s success in 1947, it’s still thriving today. On their website, they include many ways to help out and donate.