Toys for Tots

I hope this isn't "advertise-y," but hey dudes and chicks: If you're out and about this week buying toys for the little ones, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE find a Toys for Tots drop off. Of all the programs that we've dealt with this time of year, Toys for Tots is my personal favorite. I'm a little ashamed our box was only filled once, so even with local folks telling me their businesses are doing better this year, it's been-slim pickins on donations. Spend an extra $10 at Toys R' Us (I BELIEVE there are drop-offs at all their stores,) and make some kid's Christmas. When in doubt, buy a nice football. Yeah, a FOOTBALL!

A word to the wise: Sadly, our local Sergeant in charge of pickup and dropoff has suggested scraping the bar codes off the boxes. I'm sure you can guess why.

We have a program like this at work (I think our is Angel Tree). With no kids myself, I started the tradition a couple years ago of spending $100 or so on Legos, realistic car and plane toys, board games, outdoor toys, etc. To not only hopefully brighten someone's Christmas, but give them some cool toys that inspire getting away from the drone of TV.

Being Santa is fun.

Maybe next year (or this year if it isn't too late) we should see if we can setup a GRM papyal account to do donations for something like this?

I've done Toys for Tots before. Good stuff.

This year and for the past few years we've "adopted" a child for Christmas. We get them all sorts of stuff, from clothes to toys. I always make sure to get a couple Hot Wheels in there when I can. All kids love Hot Wheels.

The Toys for Tots program wraps up today, I believe - they need a few days to distribute them before Christmas.

SilverFleet wrote: I've done Toys for Tots before. Good stuff. This year and for the past few years we've "adopted" a child for Christmas. We get them all sorts of stuff, from clothes to toys. I always make sure to get a couple Hot Wheels in there when I can. All kids love Hot Wheels.

That's what we should do. Have a GRM donation set up and buy a sh*t ton of Hot Wheels and donate them as the GRM collective. Rad...

Toys For Tots is a wonderful organization. I'm a yearly contributor. We also do an Angel Tree at my work. Every year, I pick 3 kids, all the same ages as my own. I bring the wish cards to the store and bring my kids along. I explain to them why it's so important to do this and they're really into it.

Doing a GRM collective would be a great idea. I'd be happy to help out. As I've said in other posts, I'm a Christmas junkie, and love doing stuff like this. I haven't done it this year yet (probably will tomorrow), but every year since 2004, I've dressed up as Santa and gone to the daycare/school that my kids attend. It's beyond awesome.

Klayfish wrote: Every year, I pick 3 kids, all the same ages as my own. I bring the wish cards to the store and bring my kids along. I explain to them why it's so important to do this and they're really into it.

This is a great idea. I have three nieces-sort-of-in-law and one nephew-sort-of-in-law (the hyphenations get complex when you're not married) ranging from 10 to 2. I think I'll start doing something like this next year with them.

Everybody who has the means really needs to help with this. My wife and I do it every year but this year I put a bit of my car show cash aside and went nuts. Having no kids its tons of fun to go buy toys that I know will go to good use.

Next year though if I can find some way to buy bicycles in bulk online that's what we are getting instead of smaller toys, that way they can be fixed and passed down to the younger kids. I remember my first bike which was a hand me down like it was yesterday.