Published: November 03, 2009 11:40 pm      

Marines to kick off Toys for Tots Thursday

U.S. Marines from Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron One on board Naval Air Station Meridian will kick off their local Toys for Tots annual campaign on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. at the Geoffrey store, next to Bonita Lakes Mall in Meridian.

Through the generosity of the local community, Marines collected 7,030 new toys last year and hope to exceed that number this year.

Toy donation boxes for new, unwrapped toys will be set up in Meridian at Geoffrey's, both Wal-Mart locations, Sam's Club, Meridian Yamaha, The Radio People Station, the Marine Corps Recruiting Station, and H&R Block locations. Boxes are also at Wal-Mart in Newton.

U.S. Marines will be present at Meridian Wal-Mart locations, Geoffrey's, and Sam's Club on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. until Dec. 13, to assist those who wish to donate.

The primary goal of the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR, and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children.

In 1948, Walt Disney designed the Toys for Tots logo, which is used today. Disney also designed the first Toys for Tots poster used to promote the nationwide program. In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved Toys for Tots as an official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.

Over the past 62 years of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children.

More information about Toys for Tots can be found at www.toysfortots.org.

This year's Toys for Tots Coordinator is Sgt. Joseph Killian. He can be reached at (601) 679-2407.