Toys for Tots works to leave no child behind
L
isten to Jim Brumbelow and Dale Greene and there is no doubt Marine Corps League Detachment #1438 Blue Ridge is determined that Christmas will come to every local child.
“We don’t want to see a kid go without Christmas,” Brumbelow concluded after the two talked about the past and present work of the Blue Ridge Detachment’s Toys for Tots program.
What started as a casual conversation in a barber shop has grown into the largest, single, charitable Christmas toy distribution effort in Fannin County.
The two Marines recount how they struck up a conversation with Brumbelow mentioning he would like to start a Marine Corps League. Talk then went to the idea of a Marine Corps Ball, the traditional celebration of the Marine Corps birthday.
Brumbelow remembers telling Greene he wanted to start a Toys for Tots program. Greene immediately agreed, “I’ll help,” and today’s history began.
Brumbelow remembers,
“We had no idea what to expect.” That first year, he thought the program might reach 250 kids. The total number of children reached that Christmas was 545.
Toys for Tots will celebrate its ninth birthday in Fannin County this Christmas.
The program served 875 children last year, which was a decrease from about 1,000 the previous year.
The entire, eight year effort has reached 7,200 kids with 36,500 toys while raising $731,000.
Brumbelow points out the numbers represent five toys per child, which is what the Marines set out to do. This debunks the misconception that Toys for Tots generates only one toy per child.
In fact, the five-per-child number does not include stuffed animals. These are “stocking stuffers,” Brumbelow says, and the Marines give a lot of them away.
Just as the need is great among Fannin County children, the support of the community for Toys for Tots steps up to meet that need.
“This community is great, so generous...unbelievably generous. We never have any problem meeting our goal,” Brumbelow says.
Sixty toy collection boxes start appearing in various businesses around October 1. Marines empty these once a week all the way up to the week before Christmas. At least one location has to be emptied two times a week, and sometimes more.
Donations are accepted all along the way, but the Detachment’s biggest fundraising day is the day after Thanksgiving. As in past years, this year will feature a fundraiser with food and live music at Grumpy Old Men Brewing, Stuff the Truck at Walmart in Blue Ridge, and Marines collecting donations at the Depot in downtown Blue Ridge.
There are businesses who have special events, and some even challenge their counterparts.
Besides all the individuals who donate cash, toys, or volunteer their time, Fannin County Family Connection plays a big part in the success of Toys for Tots.
“We couldn’t do it without Family Connection and them letting us use their warehouse,” Brumbelow says.
Each year that warehouse becomes the hub for the toy distribution for sorting, bagging and distributing.
Once toys are donated or purchased, they are arranged by age and by boy or girl.
Then, when the needs are received, volunteers go “down the line” and fill bags. Once the needs are filled, numbers are assigned to the bags matching the names of the children in need. These are put in numerical order so they can be easily found on distribution days.
Toys for Tots is “a very tightly run ship,” Brumbelow says.
That ship does not dock at Christmas, it sails all year long.
“Let us know what you need and we’ll take care of you,” Greene says.
One example is Toys for Tots work with the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) organization. Toys are provided because many times children who come into contact with the program don’t have any.
Law enforcement officers are given stuffed animals to keep in their patrol cars to give to children who need comforted during any kind of situation.
The 54 members of Detachment #1438 are joined by about 35 regular volunteers, plus various groups around Christmas time, who carry on a tradition that started in 1947.
The wife of a U.S. Marine major stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, made handmade dolls and wanted to give them to children. The rest is now history.
The tradition includes a tightly run financial ship as 97 cents out of every dollar donated goes to buy toys. That’s the nationwide average for the 800 Toys for Tots programs, all but a handful run by Marines.
“We’re here to help people. We have taken requests on Christmas Eve” Greene said.
Toys for Tots will begin taking applications around October 15. Requests will be taken in person at the Fannin County Family Connection Food Pantry or online by going to Toys for Tots/Georgia/Fannin County.
Anyone with questions or wanting information on how to make a donation can call Greene at 404-273-2834 or Brumbelow at 404-405-5024.
“We don’t want to see a kid go without Christmas,” Greene said.