Toys for Tots Holiday Collection Starts at WIU
- Ellie Sevigny
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Western Illinois University Civil Service Employee Council (CSEC) and the Council of Administrative Personnel (COAP) are teaming up to collect Toys for Tots this holiday season.
Donation boxes are located on the first floor of Sherman Hall, Stipes Hall and Western Hall beginning Thursday, Nov. 6 through Tuesday, Dec. 16. All toys donated will go toward Toys for Tots of West Central Illinois and will be used to help local families in need.
“CSEC and COAP are excited to partner with Toys for Tots for McDonough County families because this is such a much needed and wonderful program,” CSEC President Natalie Divan said. “Last year, Toys for Tots of West Central Illinois provided for 121 families in McDonough County. As of this morning, they have 259 applications for McDonough County families and expect to receive more with the upcoming in-person registration at The Crossing-Macomb on Nov. 25.”
The Toys for Tots program aims to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute them to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. Since 1947, Toys for Tots has distributed 708 million toys to 314 million children.
Local toy collection campaigns are conducted annually in over 800 communities covering all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Local toy collection campaigns begin in October and last until mid to late December.
Coordinators pick up these toys and store them in central warehouses where the toys are sorted by age and gender. At Christmas, Coordinators, with the assistance of local social welfare agencies, church groups and other local community agencies, distribute the toys to the economically disadvantaged children of the community.
Over the years, Marines and Volunteer Coordinators have established close working relationships with social welfare agencies, churches and other local community agencies which are well qualified to identify the children in need in the community and play important roles in the distribution of the toys.