MORGAN HILL
– Toys For Tots barrels are unusually empty of toys in the South
Valley this year.
MORGAN HILL – Toys For Tots barrels are unusually empty of toys in the South Valley this year.
The U.S. Marine Corps effort with South Valley branches has been famed for decades for collecting thousands of toys for children and families who would otherwise face a bleak holiday. Morgan Hill residents are normally generous. But not this year so far.
Santa Clara County Fire Dept. Capt. Mike Sanders, who is stepping in for the late longtime Toys For Tots leader Ken Tougas, said Monday that supplies are really low.
“We have about one-tenth of the toys we need for those needy kids,” Sanders said. “Usually the storage room is half full by this time, and now there is only a short layer, maybe 3 feet by 15 feet. We have more empty tables than toys, and usually we get all kinds.”
“It’s not too late to donate toys,” Sanders said. But he would really prefer if people did not wait until the last minute to bring in new, unwrapped toys.
Toys may be dropped off at the Toys for Tots ware-house at Coch-rane Storage, 411 Woodview
Ave. off Cochrane Road (or other barrel locations listed in the box).
All toys collected in the Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill area will be distributed locally in town Dec. 22 at The Grange. Volunteers are needed for that effort, too, according to Gina Six, who spends large chunks of time working for Toys For Tots. Last year, she said, only 20 percent of the toys given to Morgan Hill and San Martin children actually come from local residents.
“The rest come from San Jose,” Six said.
Toys For Tots is holding a fund-raising barbecue Friday also at The Grange, 40 E. Fourth St.
Details: El***@Yo************.com or call Gina, 782-8883.
Collection sites
Gilroy
Coldwell Banker: 7789 Wren Ave.
CMAP: Gavilan College, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd., Suite LI-139.
Gilroy City Hall: 7351 Rosanna St.
Barrel located near Human Resources department
Gilroy Premium Outlets: 681 Leavesley Road
Intero Real Estate Services: 790 First St.
Pacheco Pass Self Storage: 6600 Brem Lane
Regulators South Bay-Al: 1205 San Miguel St.
Las Animas Fire Station: 8383 Wren Ave.
Chestnut Fire Station: 7070 Chestnut St.
Sunrise Fire Station: 880 Sunrise Drive
San Martin
Regulators South Bay-Ray: 1190 E. Middle Ave.
San Martin Lions Hall Bingo: Every Wednesday night, 12415 Murphy Ave.
San Martin Cafe: Monterey Road
