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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

2015 Toys for Tots Successful



The Marines of Utah's Dixie Detachment 1270 have landed and the toys are well in hand.

The annual Toys for Tots drive concluded Thursday, December 24, 2015 with the distribution of nearly 14,000 toys and over 4,100 books in St. George and surrounding Southern Utah.  Last year over 13,000 toys were distributed to families. It is estimated that over 14,000 toys will be given to over 3,400 children.  This year is the 9th year the Toys for Tots program has been supported by the Utah Dixie Detachment #1270, Marine Corps League.


According to Rick Massey (Retired USMC GySgt) and Southern Utah Area Coordinator, besides the over 300 families in the Toys for Tots program, they also provide toys for 1,540 in the Coins for Kids program, 140 to the Learning Center, Switch Point, Dove Center, Arron Kimball Facility and the Children's Justice Center.


Marine Corps League members and many other volunteers contributed over 3,000 man hours to the program. Also, 120 businesses within Washington County support the program.  Once the toys are collected they are inventoried and set up in a “store format” so volunteers can take shopping carts (on loan) and fill the request. They are then checked for accuracy and bagged with the proper name and address and staged for distribution.


Then a few days before Christmas, trucks and cars line up and are filled to capacity for distribution to awaiting families. Every year the Marine Corps League and several volunteers delivers toys right up to December 24th and include Christmas Day. 

“Marines on duty 24/7”

Toys for Tots is an annual national program
supported by the Marine Corps Reserve
and Marine Corps League Detachments across the country. 
It began in 1947 in Los Angeles and went national
three years later in 1950.

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