In 1947, Toys for Tots was founded by Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR to bring toys to less fortunate children in the Los Angeles area. In 1948, the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots and expanded the program to become a national effort. Walt Disney designed the famous train logo and it has ever since been a yearly tradition for citizens who are able to help children in need to enjoy and experience the joy of Christmas.
Over the last 66 years, many celebrities have endorsed Toys for Tots: Mickey Mouse, Bob Hope, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Andy Griffith, Doris Day, Brooke Shields, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush - to name a few.
In 1992, the Toys for Tots Foundation provided over 2.5 million toys to children in Florida and Louisiana who were victims of Hurricane Andrew. In 2001, special events were held for the children who lost a parent in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Forbes has named Toys for Tots as one of the top 10 charities on the Forbes 'Gold Stat' list. Most recently in 2012, the foundation provided more than 7 million children with almost 16.8 million toys!
There are few holiday charities as great as the USMCR Toys for Tots Foundation in my opinion. You can find your local drive information here or you can read on their site about donating funds by selling items on Ebay, donating a car or vehicle, or simply donating a few dollars directly to the foundation.
Hopefully you've been able to contribute a toy or two to your local drive already, but if not - do what you can to try and help! You can also follow the foundation's Facebook page to find out other ways to help! For instance, they posted recently that Walgreens & Duracell have partnered together this season to promise that for every package of Duracell batteries purchased at a participating Walgreens, Duracell will donate two batteries to Toys for Tots!
It's so wonderful to help children feel the joy and wonder of Christmas - find out about how you can help that happen!
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