Toys for Tots behind on donations; drive ends Friday

Sometimes Santa Clause needs a little extra help gathering presents for all the children on his list.

Friday is the last day to contribute to the Salvation Army Toys for Tots drive. While donors won’t get milk and cookies – customary thanks for Saint Nick – they will help realize the Christmas wishes of children in Dane County.

This year the drive is behind in collections compared with last year’s donations, said Staff Sergeant Edward J. Vinogroski, Toy for Tots of Madison coordinator.

While donations are down, the number of families seeking holiday assistance has increased, according to Casey Wachniak, Christmas program coordinator at the Salvation Army of Dane County.

“The need for Christmas assistance among families across Dane County is particularly high this year. There are only so many resources that we are able to provide them in terms of food, food pantry, and shelter,” Wachniak said.

Providing a toy goes along way in helping local children and their families have a happy holiday season. Donation drop sites are located at participating businesses throughout Madison.

“It definitely takes off some of the [financial] burden on the parents, but also the stress that providing toys for their children might cause if they’re not able to do that,” Wachniak said.

Donating a $10 toy also boosts recipients’ morale and helps them start the year on a merrier note, especially if it’s the only gift they will receive, Wachniak said.

This year the Salvation Army placed additional focus on fewer programs in an attempt to consolidate resources and reach more families in the process. Toys for Tots is one of these focus programs.

“It’s more complicated to run multiple programs that are going to serve the same amount of people as opposed to concentrating our efforts on one or two programs serving the same amount of people, potentially more,” Wachniak said.

The collected toys will be distributed Dec. 18-21 at the Alliant Energy Center to families who signed up to receive gifts and were approved through the Dane County Salvation Army.

“We always are looking for volunteers who might not have the financial means to help out but might be able to donate a couple of hours,” Wachniak said.

For Staff Sergeant Vinogroski the pay-off for donating is a simple and fulfilling one: Put a smile on a kids face and make their holiday dreams come true.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the toy distribution can contact the Salvation Army Volunteer Outreach Coordinator Debra Crye at debra_crye@usc.salvationarmy.org. Check the map below for select donation sites.