thedrifter
12-10-06, 06:53 AM
Toys for Tots: Labor of love for Marines
By FELLICIA SMITH REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER
At this time of year, 64-year-old Bob Harris has toys on the brain.
He dreams of Barbie dolls, board games and the latest action figures and all the fun to be had with them.
The former U.S. Marine isn’t the only adult in Stark County who feels that way. Harris and a small dedicated group of former Marines have spent the past 13 holiday seasons knee-deep in toys.
The men, whose average age is 70, don’t want the toys for themselves. They give them away to children throughout Stark County for Christmas.
These are the men who oversee Toys for Tots.
“Somebody has got to do it,” said Paul Josif, 78, who served in the Marines from 1945-46 and 1950-51. “We just help.”
Toys for Tots is a national program overseen by the Marines Corps. It is operated by reserve units to ensure families in need have toys for children at Christmas. Since 1993, Harris of Lake Township has been Stark County’s program director for Toys for Tots.
Along with Harris, members of the McKinley Detachment #277 Marine Corps League of Canton make Toys for Tots an essential part of the holidays for thousands.
Last year, 28,000 toys were donated to the program and given to roughly 6,000 children through assistance programs such as Total Living, Community Christmas and the Salvation Army.
“Toys for Tots is one of the main reasons I joined the league,” said 62-year-old Dana Hunter of Osnaburg Township.
WORKING NIGHT AND DAY
Harris and his volunteers crisscross the county making sure donation boxes are in place and emptied frequently from November through December.
Still, it isn’t unusual for Harris to get an early morning phone call saying a donation box is overflowing with toys that need to be collected. With boxes at nearly 200 locations throughout the county, that’s bound to happen.
“Bob’s got it well organized,” said Denny Shering, 64, who served in the Marines from 1962-66.
“This is what we do,” said Harris, as he watched three volunteers bring in a load of new toys to the storage facility where they’re kept. “We’re having a lot of fun, let me tell you.”
Marines have a reputation of being a part of the toughest branch of the military. But once they begin picking up dolls, teddy bears and makeup kits, their sensitive side begins to show.
“We enjoy doing it,” said Bill Harris, 67, who was in the Marine Reserves from 1956-64. “It’s about helping a family and knowing they appreciate it. It makes it worth it.”
GREATER NEED
Because poverty has grown in the county, the need for Toys for Tots has risen each year, Harris said. Despite that increase in demand for Christmas toys, Harris said the program has been able to meet it.
“We take care of Stark County,” Harris said. “This year, we’re going to take care of a family in Carrollton. She has three children, has lupus, and her husband is stationed in Iraq.”
The group of former Marines whose mission is to make sure Stark County kids get a joyful Christmas will remain available Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to make sure all needs are fulfilled.
“If they call on Christmas, someone will be here for them,” Harris said. “No child has to go without.”
Reach Repository writer Fellicia Smith at (330) 580-8312 or e-mail: fellicia.smith@cantonrep.com
TOYS FOR TOTS
New toys for the program are being accepted until Dec. 15. The toys can be left at any of the nearly 200 donation boxes across Stark County. For more information about Toys for Tots, call Bob Harris at (330) 699-3485.
Ellie
By FELLICIA SMITH REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER
At this time of year, 64-year-old Bob Harris has toys on the brain.
He dreams of Barbie dolls, board games and the latest action figures and all the fun to be had with them.
The former U.S. Marine isn’t the only adult in Stark County who feels that way. Harris and a small dedicated group of former Marines have spent the past 13 holiday seasons knee-deep in toys.
The men, whose average age is 70, don’t want the toys for themselves. They give them away to children throughout Stark County for Christmas.
These are the men who oversee Toys for Tots.
“Somebody has got to do it,” said Paul Josif, 78, who served in the Marines from 1945-46 and 1950-51. “We just help.”
Toys for Tots is a national program overseen by the Marines Corps. It is operated by reserve units to ensure families in need have toys for children at Christmas. Since 1993, Harris of Lake Township has been Stark County’s program director for Toys for Tots.
Along with Harris, members of the McKinley Detachment #277 Marine Corps League of Canton make Toys for Tots an essential part of the holidays for thousands.
Last year, 28,000 toys were donated to the program and given to roughly 6,000 children through assistance programs such as Total Living, Community Christmas and the Salvation Army.
“Toys for Tots is one of the main reasons I joined the league,” said 62-year-old Dana Hunter of Osnaburg Township.
WORKING NIGHT AND DAY
Harris and his volunteers crisscross the county making sure donation boxes are in place and emptied frequently from November through December.
Still, it isn’t unusual for Harris to get an early morning phone call saying a donation box is overflowing with toys that need to be collected. With boxes at nearly 200 locations throughout the county, that’s bound to happen.
“Bob’s got it well organized,” said Denny Shering, 64, who served in the Marines from 1962-66.
“This is what we do,” said Harris, as he watched three volunteers bring in a load of new toys to the storage facility where they’re kept. “We’re having a lot of fun, let me tell you.”
Marines have a reputation of being a part of the toughest branch of the military. But once they begin picking up dolls, teddy bears and makeup kits, their sensitive side begins to show.
“We enjoy doing it,” said Bill Harris, 67, who was in the Marine Reserves from 1956-64. “It’s about helping a family and knowing they appreciate it. It makes it worth it.”
GREATER NEED
Because poverty has grown in the county, the need for Toys for Tots has risen each year, Harris said. Despite that increase in demand for Christmas toys, Harris said the program has been able to meet it.
“We take care of Stark County,” Harris said. “This year, we’re going to take care of a family in Carrollton. She has three children, has lupus, and her husband is stationed in Iraq.”
The group of former Marines whose mission is to make sure Stark County kids get a joyful Christmas will remain available Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to make sure all needs are fulfilled.
“If they call on Christmas, someone will be here for them,” Harris said. “No child has to go without.”
Reach Repository writer Fellicia Smith at (330) 580-8312 or e-mail: fellicia.smith@cantonrep.com
TOYS FOR TOTS
New toys for the program are being accepted until Dec. 15. The toys can be left at any of the nearly 200 donation boxes across Stark County. For more information about Toys for Tots, call Bob Harris at (330) 699-3485.
Ellie