I really didn't anticipate this happening today...
I have heard of Toys For Tots, but I always thought it was for military families since it is a program run by the Marines. Then a few weeks ago, my children brought home Toys For Tots forms for me to fill out, and upon reading the information, I saw that it is for any family in need. Most of our money is currently being spent to catch up on bills, such as our overdue mortgage payments. Things are better, and the really rough times are over, but we knew Christmas was going to be a real challenge. So of course I signed us up!
I looked further into Toys For Tots, and learned that the United States Marine Corps started this in 1946 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks. The information on the official Toys For Tots website says that 548 million toys have been distributed to this date, supporting a total of 251 million children! Those are some impressive numbers! I also found out that 97% of donations go directly to children, 2.8% is for fundraising, and .5% for overhead. No salaries are paid with monetary donations!
My stepdad was a Marine. He often got into trouble with the law as a teen, and in court the judge allowed him to join the Marines instead of face punishment. I don't know how he was before the Marines. He had finished serving when he met my mom, but I must say that since he came into our lives 30 years ago, he has been the most organized, responsible, not to mention hardest working person I have ever known. Let me tell you, if you're looking for an objective to be met or a task to be done in the most streamlined and efficient way possible, put a Marine in charge.
Today was the day for what I'd like to call "Operation Toy Pickup." I had no clue what to expect, I just knew that the letter I received told me to come at 12:15pm and no earlier. I was also told to bring the letter along with a photo ID. So after dropping the kids off at Grandma's, we arrived right on time.
Knowing my step-dad and reputation of the USMC, I shouldn't have been surprised that "Operation Toy Pickup" would be such a well oiled machine. We drove into the parking lot, and there were maybe 5 or 6 cars ahead of us. Jared opened the driver's side window and showed our letter to a volunteer, then we drove up to the next person, and showed our letter again as well as the ID. This person gave us a number to put in our window.
At the end of the car line, we noticed 3 Marines in full dress uniform going into the building, and coming out with black garbage bags filled with toys. They placed the bags into the trunks of the vehicles, and the vehicles drove away. When Jared saw the first Marine, he got all excited, and said, "I've gotta take a selfie with him." Then the other 2 appeared, and it changed to, "You've gotta take a picture of us!" I said, "No, I'm not getting out, just take a selfie with them. I don't want to hold up the line so you can get some pictures with some Marines!" In the end, guess what. We drove up, back hatch open, and Jared jumps out to greet them. He motioned to me, and yes, I got out too. Jared thanked two of the marines for their service as they loaded the toys, and asked if he could get a picture taken with them. They were happy to, so I snapped this shot.
We thanked them and walked away. I was about to get into the van when one of the older plain clothed men stopped me and took the phone out of my hand. He said, "Hey, let her get in there too!" The 3rd marine was out there at that time, so we all lined up and smiled for the picture you first see in my post. We thanked them again. They said, "You're welcome," and they also expressed that they appreciated it. Then we left, and just before I closed the door to the SUV, I overheard the old man who took our picture jokingly say, "All right guys! What are you doing standing around taking pictures! Back to work!" Then we were gone. Our whole time there lasted maybe 5 minutes."
When we got back and took the zip tied bags upstairs to see what the kids will get, we noticed there was one bag for each child, and each bag had 3 gifts inside. We know everyone will love their presents this year. For example, my 7 year old, Chloe, will get a 140 piece art set, a kit to make friendship bracelets, and an age appropriate Lego set for girls.
I know I'm posting this on a platform where some have very strong opinions about our armed forces, but I see God's hand in this. Yesterday after buying an outfit and stocking stuffers for everyone, we found ourselves broke. We will receive one more paycheck before Christmas, and it will be smaller than this week's. I am thankful for Toys For Tots. Without them, we would have had a lean Christmas indeed. We are truly blessed.
