Know of a needy child this Christmas? Tell it to the Marines!

By JIM VANORE
November begins the holiday season.
After Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day, the first secular day observed as worthy of festivity is Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. (Sorry, politicos, but election day doesn’t even deserve to be capitalized in my opinion. And is it just a coincidence that politics is followed closely in the dictionary by pollutants?)
It therefore seems fitting that we open the holiday season on Veteran’s Day with a strong reminder about a deservedly worthy holiday endeavor by some of this country’s finest—the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, which collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes them at Christmas to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
The last part of that sentence is key for many: in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
“All toys and monies collected are kept in the county,” said Dave Burton, who runs the Cape May County program. “And every county in New Jersey has a Toys for Tots organization.
“For families with no means to buy presents for their kids, we provide children’s presents for Christmas morning.”
Dave and his wife, Ruth, have a small 50-foot square warehouse wherein they keep all the toys collected during the holiday season.
“In previous years, we would have recipients come to our house to pick up their toys,” he explained, “but this year we have a much easier system.”
This holiday season, many fire companies will be acting as central distribu-tion points, with families picking up their toys right at their local firehouse.
“We’ll no longer have to provide parents with directions to our house,” Dave said.
The only exception so far is the Wild-woods, where the Convention Center will be used as the distribution point for all the families in the Wildwoods.
Everyone likes to give to Toys for Tots, but the Burtons emphasize that the organization only accepts new, unwrapped toys—no used toys, and no clothing.
You can also donate money online by going to www.toysfortots.org. Just go to New Jersey and then to Cape May County.
The best types of toys, according to Ruth, are board games, or arts & crafts.
“Those are very versatile,” she said. “Good for boys or girls and good for any age.”
Dave, whose civilian occupation is captain and co-owner of North Star Ma-rine SeaTow, has noticed an ominous a change over the last several years.
“Times are very tough, and people who were donating toys in the past, are now asking for toys,” he said. “And we often need the toys before we have them.”
Ideally, Toys for Tots likes to give each child several toys.
“Chances are, if (the needy) received toys, they came from Toys for Tots,” said Dave. “People are comfortable giving to Toys for Tots. All of our boxes are marked, and this is an official function of the Marine Corps—part of our community service function.”
Former or current Marines are encouraged to join the Marine Corps League, which meets the third Wednesday of every month at the Middle Township Senior Center, 23 Romney Place in Court House.
“This (Toys for Tots) is a physically demanding job,” Dave noted. “We would love to have some younger members, or even an active Marine who may be home on leave, or a reservist. Having a Marine in uniform at some of our functions means a lot.”
The Burtons are once again Helping Toys for Tots reach out to all areas of Cape May County, even up into Belleplain, Dennis, Upper Township…
“We give a heartfelt thanks to the people of this county,” he said. “They are really generous. Our warehouse can quickly go from ‘bleak’ to filled up. Peo-ple here really step up in a big way.”
Ruth noted that when she and other members of the Marine Corps Auxiliary get a list of names, they personally pick out the toys from the warehouse for each specific child. “Each child is personally shopped for,” she said.
According to Ruth, last year Cape May County’s Toys for Tots gave out 6,894 toys to some 2,100 children. And the United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots prides itself on investing 97 cents of every dollar collected on children.
You’ll soon start seeing those familiar Toys for Tots logos throughout the county, so help fill up those collection boxes quickly.
And if you are a parent who wants to take advantage of this holiday service, or an organization who needs toys to distribute to needy children, contact Cape May County Toys for Tots at 609-861-2334.
If you live in the Wildwoods, go directly to the Police Department, 4400 New Jersey Ave., in the rear, and fill out a form. You must present proof of residency and proof of age of the child. Dec. 7 is the last day to register for toys. For Wildwoods residents, there will also be an invitation to a Christmas party at the Convention Center.
“Who doesn’t want to help out kids,” Dave said. “I just want to help kids have that ‘feeling’ on Christmas morning.”