Toys For Tots working to stuff the truck

Middle Georgia Toys For Tots put on its annual “Stuff the Truck” event on Saturday in the lot of the Walmart Superstore on Booth Road in Warner Robins. Several units from the Georgia State Patrol and Houston County Sheriff’s Office were parked in the lot with lights flashing as a way of support for the goodwill effort.

“The goal is to fill the trucks with toys,” said Crystal Zion, who is a lieutenant with Georgia State Patrol as well as the coordinator of Peach County Toys For Tots. “Aside from law enforcement, we also have several car clubs represented here today to help us with what we’re doing,” she informed.

Walmart is the site selected because of the large number of shoppers that frequent the chain—especially during the holiday season. The objective is to encourage people who go in to do their own personal shopping, to also grab an extra toy while inside that they will purchase, and then donate to Toys For Tots as they exit the store.

Coordinator for Houston and Bibb Counties Toys For Tots, Wendy Chadwell, was also at Saturday’s event. The combination of Peach County Toys For Tots and Houston and Bibb Counties Toys for Tots is what makes up Middle Georgia Toys for Tots. Each year, the groups combine and work together for the distribution of toys for area children.

“We accept unwrapped toys for children anywhere from ages zero to 16 years old,” Chadwell said. “Even things like wallet sets, perfume and cologne sets and other items that teens like to get as holiday gifts,” she added. “We also take monetary donations.”

Last year, nearly 7,000 children in middle Georgia benefitted from this effort by receiving toys they would not have gotten had it not been for the Toys For Tots Stuff the Truck program. The coordinators said that due to COVID, this year, donations are way down from what they’ve been in years past.

“That’s pretty much why we’re here,” said Bradley Niderand, president of Warner Robins Jeep Club. “My club is out here every year, and so is the Central Georgia Mustang Club. We come out to help promote Toys For Tots Stuff the Truck by bringing out nice cars and jeeps. A lot of times, that helps to draw people in. Once we get them drawn in, we encourage them to go in the store and support the folks at Toys For Tots.”

Niderand said that he reached out to different car clubs to request participation. He said that a new participant this year was Dysfunctional 4 Bangers.

“I was glad we had more interest this year,” Niderand stated. “With the amount of people that wanted to participate, we decided to put on an actual car show. We have about 50 cars this year—most are unique or have been customized in some way. We’ve got a lot of performance cars out here this year.”

Niderand said his hope is that the cars will result in the collection of a bunch of toys for the children. “This year, with COVID, I know the requests were way up because of the need. So whatever we can do out here to help with the process of collecting more toys, that’s what we’re here for. It’s all about the kids,” he insisted.

“Toys For Tots has been doing this annually for about 20 years,” Zion estimated. “We primarily help Houston and Peach County children, but we rarely turn a family away. We’re all about helping every kid have some Christmas under the tree. You can imagine what it would be like if they couldn’t.”

Although Saturday was the only day that the Toys For Tots crew and the program’s supporters would be out in full force collecting for the area’s children, the program is still accepting donations.

“We can use any help we can get. Especially this year,” Zion pointed out. “It’s obviously been a hard year for everyone, and we’re really asking for assistance. Any business, church, or group that wants to get involved—we can really use the help this year. On Facebook, we are Middle Georgia Toys For Tots. People can contact us there, and we will gladly bring them boxes, help with an event, help them come up with an idea for an event that works for their organization or group.”

Chadwell added, “There is also an option of online giving. It’s on our Facebook page. The link is on the Middle Georgia Toys For Tots page that tells all the information about giving online.

For those holiday shoppers that like to catch the after-Christmas sales, please note that Middle Georgia Toys For Tots will keep receiving donations beyond Christmas Day. Donations that are received after the holiday passes allow them to get a head start toward next year’s goal.

Georgia State Patrol and Houston County Sheriff’s Office are ongoing collection sites and anyone who purchases items can, at any time, drop them at either of these locations and the items will be given to Toys for Tots.

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