Schools
Mountains of Toys Collected at AACC This Year
The college's Public Safety Office became a holding zone for more than 1,500 toys in December.
When Lieutenant Darrell Wallace came to work every day in December at Anne Arundel Community College, he’d have to step past mountains of toys donated to the Toys For Tots program.
December was a successful month for the program. More than 1,500 toys were donated to needy families. The college’s Public Safety Office has been a drop-off and distribution center for the toys for the past nine years, and this year was its biggest yet.
The college has become the largest collection site for the Toys for Tots program in the county.
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“With the economy the way it is right now, I really didn’t think people would donate as much as they did,” Wallace said. “For me it became an overwhelming experience.”
Wallace said on the day that the toys were set to be given out, there was a line around several buildings for those in need. The weather was bad that day, and so everyone was brought inside. Thankfully, there was enough for everyone, thanks to the generous donations this year.
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“It got to to the point where you couldn’t begin to count them all,” Wallace said, noting the stacks of toys and rows of bikes he’d pass by each day.
The Toys for Tots program was started in 1947 by the U.S. Marine Corps. Reserves. The mission of the program is to deliver a message of hope through toys to less fortunate children. For more information, visit http://www.toysfortots.org/.