Toys for Tots has a new location in Hyde Park. Some of the staff mill around the entrance on Thursday.
HYDE PARK – Carlton Brown, a former Marine and Toys for Tots volunteer, is excited about the new location of their office/warehouse. The charity organization was housed in a Cache Community Food Pantry (CCFP) warehouse and needed to find a new place due to planned expansion of the pantry.
The new Toys for Tots location is now at 52 W. 3900 N. in Hyde Park near Castle Manor.
The new location is on the west side of Advantage Automotive in the same building.
“The new place is a little smaller, but it has heating and air conditioning with an indoor restroom,” says Brown. “We also have room for semi-trucks to drive up and drop off toys.”
During the Christmas season they have pallets of toys being dropped from other parts of the country.
“We can get some mobile minis from a place in Salt Lake to help during they surge from October through January,” Brown says. “Mike Soholt is going back to Washington D.C. to be trained as the new coordinator.”
It is important he be trained because even though they are a 501c non-profit, the organization is still accountable to the IRS.
Brown had been actively looking for a new office when he stopped by the building owned by Salt Lake businessman Steve Smith who owns several properties in the area.
Melanie Sweet will man the office and set the office hours when things settle down a little.
“The organization depends heavily on volunteers from church and civic groups to help get the gifts ready,” Brown explains. “We have been helping kids enjoy Christmas in the valley for over 10 years.”
Last year, the organization served nearly 7,000 children from Cache, Box Elder, Franklin, Rich and Oneida counties.
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 distribute the toys.
For more information about volunteering locally, contact Dwayne Smith at (435) 760-9474 or contact the national office at toysfortots.org.