Toys for Tots seeks support

The local Toys for Tots program is hoping to reach its goal of collecting 7,000 toys this holiday season in order to help those in need.

As of Tuesday, Toys for Tots had collected approximately 2,000 toys, organizer Diana Martinez said.

Martinez, a contact person for Toys for Tots, said the toy run — which consists of drop-off boxes throughout town and toy drives — will continue through Dec. 20.

The toys will be distributed to children in Porterville and outlying areas that include Springville, Terra Bella, Plainview and Strathmore.

Toys are not being collected door-to-door, so Toys for Tots officials are encouraging residents to be wary of anyone trying to collect donations that arenÂ’t through the local drop boxes or drives.

Children chosen to receive toys from Toys for Tots are referred by teachers from local school districts such as Porterville and Burton, Martinez said.

Toys for Tots receives five referrals from each teacher for children in grades kindergarten through third.

"Basically, what we then do, is collect the referral slips and the parents of the children are notified of the time and date to pick up the toys," Martinez said. "This year, the pick-up will be Sunday, Dec. 23 at the Comision Honorifica Mexicana-Americana over on Date Avenue and Plano Street."

The pick-up date is an all-day affair, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Martinez said, and parents are given their times to pick up toys.

At the pick-up building, parents walk through the Santa workshop and pick out a toy they feel would be best for their child along with his/her siblings up to the age of 14.

Grace Rios-Munoz, coordinator for the Marine Corps Reserves Porterville Toys for Tots Program, said she was in the process Tuesday afternoon of emptying a box that was filled at In-Shape City health club.

The reason there is such as demand this year for toys, Rios-Munoz said, is because the organization is reaching out to more schools than in previous years.

Also, with the freeze that the area just recently went through, there are more children in need, Rios-Munoz said.

"There are a lot of people in the community that are at the poverty level or are considered to be working poor and are barely making it with not enough money for extras," Rios-Munoz said. "So, even more so this Christmas, buying toys is something that is not really on their priority list because of economic necessity and that is why we expanded our outreach."

This weekend, two toy drives are scheduled at Wal-Mart, Martinez said, one from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and the other from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

In addition, there will be a toy drive from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Pizza Factory, located on the corner of Henderson Avenue and Porter Road.

The Pizza Factory drive is being sponsored by Rollin’ Relics — a street rod club.

Tim Day, president of the local RollinÂ’ Relics, said the clubÂ’s drive is taking place on one of the membersÂ’ cruise drives.

"WeÂ’ve done toy drives every year for the last number of years and we do it in coordination with our cruise night, which is held the first Friday of each month," Day said. "ThereÂ’s definitely a need in the community for underprivileged children and weÂ’ve always collected and donated to various organizations locally and this year we decided to donate to Toys for Tots."

Day said there will also be a canned food drive that same night, with the food being donated to the Trinity Lutheran Food Bank in Porterville.

Rios-Munoz said all donations to Toys for Tots must be of new toys.

Some of the drop-off points where people can donate toys include the Porterville Chamber of Commerce, The Porterville Recorder, Porterville Fire Department, the City of Porterville, the city library and the Porterville Unified School District office.

Those who would like to make monetary donations are asked to make checks out to Toys for Tots and send them to P.O. Box 2043, Porterville, CA 93258.

For more information, call Martinez at 333-1036 or Rios-Munoz at 289-9381.

-- Contact Kara D. Machado at 784-5000, Ext. 1047, or karam@portervillerecorder.com.