Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

December 22, 2009

Toys for Tots donations are up

6,500 children to get gifts through program in 2009

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE

TRAVERSE CITY -- Maggie Kent was in a restaurant with her husband at the end of a long day when a woman approached to talk about Toys for Tots.

For 12 years, Kent has helped to bring new toys to the region's needy children during the holidays, but she can't remember a grateful recipient ever stopping her to thank her in person.

"It made my Christmas," said Kent, now the Toys director for northwest Michigan. "It really makes it just a whole lot easier knowing we've got a lot of support out there."

Kent can rest assured: Donations to this year's five-county holiday campaign exceeded 19,000 toys, far above last year's total of roughly 14,000.

About 6,500 children in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties will have new toys to open this holiday season, also an increase from 2008.

Organizers aim to give three toys to each child.

Nearly 200 children signed up at the Father Fred Foundation in Traverse City after the registration deadline ended, Executive Director Martie Manty said.

In all, the human services agency gave toys to 819 children in 320 families, Manty said.

The continuing recession is a factor. Michigan leads the nation in unemployment, and agencies reported more first-time clients this year than before.

But Kent didn't expect more donations in a downturn, especially because more people are limiting their spending. Estimated tallies, however, seem to indicate otherwise.

"It always amazes me. When we put out the plea every October and November saying we need toys, people just give," she said. "The need's there. People step up."

They certainly have.

Fox Grand Traverse in Traverse City collected more than 7,000 toys in its first year as a drop-off site.

The auto dealer teamed with the Great Wolf Lodge to offer passes to the resort's water park as an incentive, General Manager John Cueter said.

Andrew Miller, owner of an A. Papano's Pizza restaurant in Beulah, said he estimated donors brought between 600 and 800 toys to his collection site this year -- gifts ranging from bike helmets to Nintendo Wii video games.

And people continued to give, he said, until the drop-off box was removed this week. The newest toys will be stored until next year since distribution has ended.

"Last year, we even had someone drop off a check after Christmas," said Miller, who has participated with Toys for Tots for about a decade. "Why would we turn these people away?"

Text Only