Off to an earlier start, Centre County Toys for Tots calls on community to help with urgent need
Centre County Toys for Tots is urgently seeking donations of toys and nonperishable food, saying its emergency reserve of about $10,000 has nearly been depleted.
The yearlong campaign that has annually handed out at least 15,000 items to children and their families for more than three decades was rescheduled a month earlier than normal due to the coronavirus pandemic and Penn State shifting Nov. 20 to remote learning.
“We have about a hundred fewer collections points than we had last year, we’re doing it earlier and the need is going to be at least as great as it has historically been. It’s sort of a triple whammy,” campaign coordinator Gene Weller said. “We need a final push on this.”
There are about 200 collection points in Centre County, and each is expected to remain available until Nov. 13.
The nonprofit’s campaign traditionally culminates when hundreds of volunteers sort, wrap, label and bag toys for distribution at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. That’s been modified, too.
Toys are only expected to be sorted by age and gender. Interested volunteers must register at lemont-pa.toysfortots.org.