Carlton Brown shows on of the bicycles donated Monday for Toys for Tots left over from last years campaign. The charity organization is looking for a new warehouse.
LOGAN – The building currently used by Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots is going to be razed in the future to make room for a new Cache Community Food Pantry (CCFP) warehouse.
Although they have some time to find a new space, they are trying to find something with a little more room for the coming season.
“I have given them all the room I have available,” said CCFP Executive Director Matt Whitaker. “We are trying to raise funds for an 8,000 square foot warehouse that would use the space Toys for Tots is currently using.”
Carlton Brown, a former U.S. Marine, said right now their working space is 25 foot deep and 40 feet long. They would like to find something with double the space that has a working restroom with heating and air conditioning.
“When the Christmas season comes, we have pallets of toys being dropped from other parts of the country,” he said. “We use the loading dock in the food pantry’s space next to our part of the building.”
It gets tight when they have volunteers, toys and the Marines trying to get things packaged for their clientele. The space is also used for storing flags and other equipment for flag ceremonies.
“We have a lot of volunteers from church and civic groups help get the gifts ready,” said Brown who served 20 years as a Marine and 10 years as a reserve. “We have 30 Marines in our group, but 12 to 14 actually help.”
Brown said they have been searching for a space that would meet their needs but have struck out so far.
Toys for Tots began in 1947 nationally, but they came to Cache Valley in 2010.
“Last year we served a total of 6,850 children from Cache, Box Elder, Franklin, Rich and Oneida counties,” Brown said. “Each child received four toys, two books for starters.”
Every year their toy campaign begins in October and goes until December 22. People across the country drop off new, unwrapped toys at collection receptacles located in businesses. Local Toys for Tots coordinators pick up, sort and store toys in a central warehouse.
Marines with the help of local social welfare agencies and church officials distribute toys to less fortunate children on Christmas Day.
The Toys for Tots organization is a 501-C3 non-profit organization and is always seeking toy or monetary donations, volunteers and local warehouse space.
For more information locally, contact Dwayne Smith at (435) 760-9474 or contact the national office at toysfortots.org.