Somewhere north of Houston there is a child who may not have a present under the tree this year. Covid has ravaged employment numbers and parents everywhere are struggling to put food on the table, yet alone provide gifts at Christmastime. You can make all the difference.
Today (Sunday) is the last day to drop off a donation for the Conroe Toys For Tots program, says coordinator Pam Armitage. Business offices are mostly staffed by remote workers these days so a major source of donations isn’t available, and retailers are seeing less traffic as purchasing moves online. The convenience of the Marine Corps gift-giving operation, begun in 1947, is struggling under Covid. “We cover five counties,” Armitage says. “We’ve had a LOT of applications due to Covid, but our box pickups are finding at some locations they just don’t have the toys.”
They cover Montgomery, Liberty, Walker, Polk and San Jacinto counties.
As with every year, they are collecting new unwrapped toys, most especially for those on both far ends of the age spectrum. “They can buy a new toy from ages 0 to 2, to 12 to 16. They forget about the older children. They generally give to 3 to 5 year olds and 6 to 7 year olds,” Armitage suggests.
The fire departments in Magnolia, Spring, and South Montgomery County are drop off locations.
For a complete list of donation sites, go here.
You can also make a cash donation at their website here.
photo: Getty Images