‘Toys for Tots’ campaign brings out best in people, police chief says
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Girl Scouts from Troop 413265 and 4290 demonstrate their gift-wrapping prowess for the West Caln “Toys for Tots” campaign.
The West Caln Township building’s meeting room was transformed into gift-wrapping central on Thursday night as a posse of elves, ranging from police officers to Girl Scouts, began the daunting task of readying dozens of piles of toys for deserving children in the township.
The effort culminated the sixth year of a Toys for Tots campaign that can pose challenges to township visitors in the weeks before the collection ends: The lobby often gets dwarfed by the donations. “We’re extremely fortunate,” said Police Chief Curt Martinez. “People here are very generous.”
Martinez started the holiday tradition in 2007 after he became chief. In the first few years, a township couple served as chief benefactors, holding an annual fund-raising dinner that financed a Black Friday shopping spree for the program. Martinez said when they moved out of the township a couple of years ago, he feared a downturn that never materialized.
Wayne Welty (left), an assistant leader of Troop 41365 works with West Caln Sgt. Christopher J. Fries on wrapping.
Children from struggling families in need of some holiday cheer get identified primarily through the school district, Martinez said. Many of the toys are set aside for a dramatic – and surprise – delivery to those homes from Santa, who arrives with a caravan of police officers and firefighters from Wagontown and Martin’s Corner. The remainder of the bounty goes to Toys for Tots for dissemination.
Martinez designates West Caln Sgt. Christopher J. Fries as the gift-sorting guru. The father of four children ranging in age from 2 to 9, Fries relies on personal experience to determine which toys are appropriate for the different age groups. This year’s recipients range in age from 2 to 15, he said.
By the time about 20 Girls Scouts from Troops 413265 and 4290 arrived, Martinez had arranged the gifts by family, and pairs of Scouts and their leaders got to work. Michelle Kreger, a leader of Troop 413265, said the girls enjoy contributing. Besides, last year’s effort did not result in any “tape or paper left on the ceiling,” she joked.
Indeed, the experienced wrappers quickly got down to business, overcoming a scissors shortage by sharing them in groups, and affirming the wisdom of some of the purchases. “This person is really going to like this,” one girl said in between cutting and taping.
West Caln Police Chief Curt Martinez (left), who served as master tape dispenser, assists Troop 41365 leader Michelle Kreger.
Less than an hour into the process, the girls hadn’t even stopped to enjoy pizza from the Wagontown Deli – that would come later. First, they had to address a crisis: Halfway through the piles, the wrapping paper was running low. “Uh, oh; didn’t I get enough?” asked Martinez. “No problem. I’ll go get some more.”
Martinez said he attributes the success of the “Toys for Tots” drive to the hundreds of volunteer hours and unselfish donations from a variety of sources. He said when he was purchasing the first batch of wrapping paper at the Dollar Store last week, he ran into an old classmate he hadn’t seen for a while. “When he learned what I was doing, he said, ‘I’ve got this,’ when I went up to the register to pay,” Martinez said. “That’s the kind of thing that happens. It’s quite wonderful.”
He said the program succeeds in spreading good will. “We want to make people feel good during the holidays – especially the children,” he said. “That’s what this is all about.”
